


The Ripper

by shameless_ramblings



Series: The Returned Series [2]
Category: Supernatural, the originals - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Blood, F/M, Feeding, Feels, Fluff, Gore, Pregnancy, Sequel, Series, Vampires, Witches, elijah is hot, sam is hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:04:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9821744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shameless_ramblings/pseuds/shameless_ramblings
Summary: Sequel to The Returned.As Alessandra and the Mikaelson's try to deal with the aftermath of the war with the Wolves, new threats present themselves. Will the Mikaelson's endure? Or will they fall apart? Set in Season 2 of the Originals





	1. Prologue

A desiccated body, vampire, was pinned up outside of the Mikaelson compound when I returned home from the gym. A note tucked into his mouth revealed the purpose of the gruesome scene.

Vampires in the Quarter are killed on sight ~F.

The threat didn't go unnoticed. One by one, vampires and even a few witched moved to the other side of the River. Soon, the whole vampire population joined them.

Of course, the Mikaelsons refused to give up the compound. So here we were, sitting ducks in the middle of enemy territory. Not that I minded; it was fun to watch them plot to force us out. But I had other things on my mind, apart from scheming werewolves; my hunger had spun out of control. This was beyond even what I had experienced as a newborn. I didn't tell anyone; they were still grieving over the loss of the baby. I refused to go outside to the street, where humans roamed like an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Then I realized I was already experiencing another symptom; nightmares. At first, they were just flashes of memories but then Soon after that, they changed. They became distorted and changed into something doubly as terrifying. Just like me.


	2. Chapter 1

**Elijah**

_The cabin I stood in bathed in the warm light thrown from the fire in the corner. In the centre of the room were two women, surrounded by towels and bowls of water. One was lying on the floor, propped up by pillows. Her dress was bunched up around her hips and her forehead beaded in sweat. The second was kneeling between the woman’s legs, encouraging her. After a moment, I recognized Alessandra as the woman on the floor, with Esther between her legs._

_‘’Come on, Alessandra! Push!’’ Esther encouraged._

_Alessandra gave a cry, her forehead bunching in concentration. She screamed then flopped back down to the pillows._

_‘’I can’t do it. I am not strong enough.’’ She panted. ‘’Please. Just end it.’’_

_‘’You are having my son’s child; therefore, you are family. Even if he is ignorant, I refuse to let the mother of my first grandchild die. I am not giving up on you! Now._ Push _,’’ Esther said._

_I stood in the corner, watching them. I remember this night; though I didn’t get to witness the birth, my mother was too concerned with us attacking them at the sight of the blood, so we had listened from outside. I had known about Alessandra’s pregnancy, but hadn’t known the child’s father. Alessandra claimed that he was a nomad passing through._

_‘’May I have some water, please?’’ Alessandra begged. ‘’Even a little, just to wet my tongue.’’_

_Esther nodded and got to her feet. I followed her to the corner, where a bucket of clean, fresh water. She grabbed a cup and ladled the water in. Then I saw her reach into her bodice and draw something out; a red vial. Blood. I opened my mouth to warn Alessandra but no sound escaped._

_‘’Here.’’ My mother handed the blood-laced water to Alessandra who gulped it down greedily. ‘’Now. You must push when I say.’’_

_Alessandra nodded, gritting her teeth. A scream tore its way up her throat as she pushed, her body curling in on itself in pain. I saw Esther grab a towel, encouraging Alessandra._

_‘’Last one, I can see the baby. Push!’’ Esther cried, her eyes lighting up._

_A final scream from Alessandra and a baby’s cry filled the room._

_‘’It’s a girl!’’ Esther proclaimed, swaddling the baby._

_‘’Can I hold her?’’ Alessandra panted, looking eagerly towards her baby. Esther nodded and handed the child to its mother._

_‘’Hello, Valkyrie.’’ Alessandra cooed, stroking the baby’s face._

_Tears rose in my eyes as I gazed down at the pair. The maternal love that filled Alessandra face bought both joy and pain to me. Valkyrie. My daughter’s name was Valkyrie. I had never even thought to ask._

_I walked cautiously towards the pair, moving so that I could see the child. She had high cheekbones and full pink lips, just like her mother. Her skin was turning from bluish to a soft pink as oxygen filled her lungs, a stark contrast to the shock of dark hair on her head, obviously inherited from me. As I watched, Alessandra picked up a nearby clean cloth and wiped the blood from the child’s face. The baby gave another gentle cry and opened her eyes. She had the lightest blue eyes I had even seen._

_A tear streaked down my cheek._

_‘’She looks like her father.’’ Alessandra whispered._

_‘’She does.’’ Esther agreed. She started picking up the dirty towels while mother and newborn gazed at each other. The baby gave a cough, then spluttered. The rise of fall of its small chest halted._

_‘’Esther! Esther she’s not breathing!’’ Alessandra screamed, looking to my mother for help._

_Esther grabbed the child and laid it gently on the ground. Hovering her hands above the tiny body she chanted, while Alessandra looked anxiously on. After a moment, Esther stopped the spell and turned to face Alessandra._

_‘’No. No, no, no!’’ Alessandra screamed, shaking her head in denial. The child lay still on the floor. Esther picked her up, and handed the tiny body to her mother._

_Alessandra stared in horror at the baby.‘’Valkyrie. My little Valkyrie. Please wake up! Please. Your mother needs you to wake up.’’ She pleaded. I suddenly noticed how pale she was. The pool of blood between her legs grew at an alarming pace. Alessandra slumped over, the baby’s body still clutched in her arms. Esther gently laid her down, taking the baby and laying her on a separate piece of cloth._

_‘’I am so sorry, my daughter.’’ Esther knelt over Alessandra’s body. ‘’I thought to give you the life you wanted with your child. I gave you the power to protect her. Now I have cursed you to an eternity of misery.’’_

* * *

 

**Tallie**

            _I didn’t want to see this. I couldn’t see this again. I was on the floor of the Mikaelson house. Esther was between my legs, encouraging me as the contractions tore apart my body. This was how I died._

_I saw the child stop breathing and I screamed. Pain ripped through my chest as I relieved the darkest moment of my life._

_I saw Esther place the still body in my arms; cooling already. I heard myself plead for the child to wake up. I remember the dizziness as I bled out._

* * *

 

I woke with a scream, tears still tracking down my face. My poor, little Valkyrie. I lay in bed, sobbing until the sun rose.

 

* * *

 

            When I finally had the strength to pull myself out of bed, it was close to midday. I didn’t have the energy to throw on anything more than sweatpants and an old hoodie. I stumbled downstairs, eyes still bleary from crying. I made my way to the kitchen without seeing anyone, which I was glad of; I couldn’t deal with people today, I just needed to be alone.

            Inside the fridge was a stash of blood bags for Hayley. I had heard Elijah put them there last night. The first few days of being a vampire meant that you felt like you couldn’t get enough blood, as disgusting as that sounded. I grabbed a bag of O+, my favourite. I had decided that blood bags were the best way to go from here; I couldn’t trust myself to drink from a living human.

            The cold bag felt heavy in my hand as I trudged back up the stairs. I _this_ close sanctuary when Elijah’s door swung open and he stepped out.

            ‘’Good morning,’’ he said, sounding slightly strained.

            ‘’Morning.’’ I mumbled.

            ‘’I believe your condition has worsened.’’ He stated.

            My head shot up. ‘’Why?’’         

            ‘’Because last night you projected your dreams into my mind…without permission.’’


	3. Chapter 2

 

‘’Oh, Elijah. I’m so sorry. I promise I didn’t mean to!’’ I blubbered.

‘’It wasn’t just him, Tallie.’’ Hayley strode out form her own room, eyes black with lack of sleep.

Klaus appeared behind me. ‘’Well, it would seem that we all had a party in your head, Tallie.’’

I flushed and dropped my gaze, ashamed at my lack of control.

‘’It was just a dream. Nothing to be ashamed about.’’ Hayley said.

‘’It wasn’t a dream.’’ I muttered. The image of the beautiful baby flashed to mind and I smothered a sob.

‘’Oh.’’ Hayley couldn’t bring herself to look me in the eye. None of them could.

‘’Please excuse me.’’ I opened the door to my room and slipped inside.

‘’I think it would be best if we left her today.’’ Elijah murmured.

‘’Why today? What triggered the dream?’’ Hayley asked.

‘’it’s the child’s birthday.’’ Elijah whispered.

With that, I shut myself out from the world; I pulled the covers over my head and cried.

* * *

 

            It took me four hours to make it to the shower. After standing under the hot water for what felt like an year, I had gathered myself enough to face the world. The blood bag still sat on my bedside table, now warm. I stared at it for a long while. What kind of vampire could only drink from blood bags? It was wrong and not as satisfying as a hunt and fresh catch, but if I was going to kill every human I drank from, I would rather suffer.

So I made a choice. No more humans. I didn’t want to tempt myself. Already thinking about burn of hunger occupied most of my time, I didn’t want to worry about the guilt I would feel if I ripped a human apart.

This whole thing was getting to me now. I couldn’t feed and now I _project_ my dreams into other vampire’s/hybrids head- which should be _impossible_ without their permission. As I dressed, something kept catching the corner of my eye, but every time I turned to see it, whatever it disappeared.

Downstairs was quiet, Klaus and Hayley must be out. They had been doing that a lot recently. My best guess was they were hunting down Guerrera wolves, or sparring in the forest. Ever since she had Turned, Hayley had been angry with the world and truthfully, I couldn’t blame her. I’m sure I would’ve been the same if I hadn’t-

‘’Turned it off,’’ someone whispered.

            I spun around, but nobody was around. I shrugged then made my way into the kitchen, where an assortment of kitchen drawers were open. the stove steamed in the corner. A door shut behind me and I spun around.

            ‘’Hello?’’ I called. ‘’Elijah?’’

            ‘’You don’t recognize me?’’ A woman materialized in front of me. She was beautiful, I had to say. High cheekbones framed by waist-length dark hair. Her startling blue eyes were stark against her pale skin. _My_ blue eyes.

            ‘’You’re not real.’’ I managed, scrambling away from the girl.

            ‘’Oh, but I am, _Mother_ ,’’ she hissed.

She picked up a knife from the counter and twirled it between her fingers, stalking closer to me. I stepped backwards and tripped over an open drawer. I tried to slide on my back, tried to get away from the girl, but my back hit the wall, trapping me. Valkyrie waved her hand and the drawer banged closed.

            ‘’Why are you afraid of me?’’ she asked sarcastically confused. ‘’I’m not going to hurt you. I’m your daughter. I love you.’’

            ‘’Then why do you have that knife?’’ I asked, nodding towards the sliver blade in her hands.

            ‘’Sorry, my mistake. Let me rephrase, I’m not going to hurt you anymore than you hurt me,’’ she snarled.

 I tried to move, but like a bad dream, the more I moved, the less control I seemed to have over my body. She strode forward and plunged the knife deep into my stomach and I screamed.

            ‘’See how much that _hurts_?’’ she hissed, her beautiful face distorting into something terrifying. ‘’That’s nothing to what I felt when _you killed me._ ’’

            ‘’Alessandra!’’ Elijah appeared in front of me, striding through the smoke that had been my daughter. I scrambled back, looking around for Valkyrie. When I didn’t see her, I pressed my hand to my stomach to staunch the bleeding. Only, there was not blood. No knife either. I looked down. The black tank top I was wearing showed no sign of damage. No gaping hole where I had been stabbed. The drawer that had tripped me was still closed.

            ‘’What happened?’’ Elijah asked, kneeling beside me.

            I looked around for any sign of Valkyrie, but even the knife she had picked up was resting in its block on the counter.

            ‘’I think I’m hallucinating.’’ I gasped.

      Elijah helped me stand up from the tiled floor. He closed the drawers and cupboards while I brushed off my jeans and tried to appear composed.

      ‘’It would seem that you were right in your prognosis, Elijah.’’ I confessed.

      He opened the fridge to grab a blood bag from the shelf and tossed it to me while keeping one for himself. I ripped open the top and skulled it down.

      ‘’I see your appetite hasn’t diminished.’’ He said, watching me. While I had torn into mine like a wild animal, he poured his into a glass and carefully sipped it.

      ‘’It’s getting worse.’’ I sighed, chucking the empty bag into the bin.

      ‘’I am working on a solution as we speak; I have asked Davina to conduct a spell on you. It will reveal any hexes or enchantments. Then we’ll have to work from there. She just needs…’’ Elijah hesitated.

      ‘’What is it? Does she need my blood? I can do that.’’ I reached for a knife.

‘’No. She needs you… in person. It’s the only way the spell will work,’’ Elijah said.

I shook my head. ‘‘Nope, no way. We find another way. If I see her, I’ll rip her head off. I won’t be able to control myself.’’ Even the thought of it brought the burn back. ‘’I can’t do it.’’

‘’I’ll be with you. Believe me, it’s in our interests that you do not kill one of the most powerful witches in New Orleans who even remotely accepts us.’’ He assured.

‘’You won’t leave my side?’’ He nodded. ‘’If I do anything even _remotely_ threatening, you snap my neck, ok?’’

‘’I give you my word.’’ He assured.

I let out a breath. ‘’Ok. I’ll do it.’’

 


	4. Chapter 3

            ‘’Elijah, Tallie’’ Davina said. ‘’Come in.’’

            We were in the church attic. I had convinced Elijah to do the spell today; the less I thought about being this close to a human, the better this would end. I hurried past her, holding my breath.

            ‘’You must excuse Alessandra.’’ Elijah said. ‘’Her hunger is getting worse.’’

            ‘’No problem,’’ the witch said, eyeing me. ‘’I’d rather her not talk than rip my head off.’’

            ‘’Can we please get this over with? I’m having a hard time standing here.’’ I snapped.

            Davina frowned. ‘’Fine by me. Lie in the salt circle. Elijah, you can take a seat over there.’’ I nodded when he looked to me. I could control myself… I think.

            ‘’Don’t worry about me,’’ Davina assured me. ‘’I can take care of myself.’’

            ‘’Ok. Let’s get this over with.’’ I lay down in the circle, the wooden floor cold against my back. Davina had stuck posters of celebrities and singers on the roof of the attic. It was a little creepy the way Zac Efron grinned down at me. I tilted my head towards Elijah as Davina started chanting.

He nodded at me reassuringly and I gave him a weak smile. A wind blew up in the attic and my hair wisped around my face. Then I started floating. I rose off the floor and hovered about halfway between the floor and ceiling. The temperature dropped and it felt like someone was running a power line down my whole body. I screamed as my muscles clamped up. Davina chanted louder and the pain increased. Then it stopped. I fell back to the floor with a thud and the wind died down.

            I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me.

            ‘’It’s a hex.’’ Davina said. ‘’It won’t kill you, but it will get worse until the witches or witches that cursed you either release you or kill you. Have you made any enemies recently?’’

            I stared at her, after my ordeal I was starving. It felt like shards of glass in my stomach and throat, and her neck looked so soft. I could see her pulse from here.

I snarled and my fangs grew in my mouth. I lunged for her, a snarl in my burning throat. Davina raised her hand and I screamed as my brain burst. When it lessened slightly, Davina’s strength waning from the spells, I launched myself at her again, too fast for her to counter-attack with an enchantment. Elijah sped towards me, reaching out and pulling me back against his chest. I struggled against his hold and he grunted as he struggled to hold me.

            ‘’Davina, ‘’ he enquired politely, ‘’would you be so kind as to leave the room? I’m afraid that Alessandra here will escape my hold if the scent of your blood continues to tempt her.’’

            Davina nodded and strode from the room. A couple of seconds after she left, the smell of fresh blood disappeared. I slumped against Elijah, exhausted.

            I groaned. ‘’Can you please take me home before I try to kill anyone else?’’

* * *

 

      Elijah dropped me at home with strict instructions to remain in my room; he was off to see if any witches were out to get me. I sighed, flopping on my bed. Not two seconds after I had relaxed my phone buzzed in my pocket. I groaned and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

      ‘’Hello?’’ I grumbled.

      ‘’Tallie?’’

      I jolted up right. ‘’Sam?’

      ‘’Yeah.’’

      ‘’How have you been?’’ I grinned.

      ‘‘Not good. Just averted another apocalypse… sort of, so I’m dealing with the aftermath.’’

      _Not again._

      ‘‘Oh, God. Do you want me to come?’’ I cringed, wishing I hadn’t spoken so fast. ‘’Actually, I can’t _right_ now, but I can soon.’’

      ‘’I’m handling it.’’ He insisted.

      ‘’What do you mean _you’re_ handling it? Where’s Dean?’’ I sat up. Ready to defend my friends if need be.

      ‘’Deans… not himself.’’ Sam said slowly. I had learnt enough about Sam to know when he’s withholding the truth.

      ‘’Sam,’’ I growled. ‘’Tell me _right now_ what’s going on. I’m not kidding.’’

      ‘’I don’t want you to worry.’’ Something shuffled in the background and I heard a cry of pain.

      ‘’Too late.’’

      ‘’Dean got the mark of Cain. He died and now he’s a demon. He and Crowley are off on some sort of bonding trip.’’ He breathed.

      ‘’Jesus, Sam.’’ I breathed. ‘’Why didn’t you call me? You shouldn’t be dealing with alone. Where are they? Maybe I can do something.’’

      ‘’There’s nothing you can do. Besides, you said that you had your own problems. I’ve got it under control.’’ There was another cry of pain.

      ‘’I’m guessing that your torturing demons until they tell you where he is.’’

      ‘’Yup. Anyway, I called to check up on you. I’m so sorry about the way we left things. Dean and I were in shock and then we got hit with the whole apocalypse thing. This is the first chance I’ve had to call you.’’

      ‘’It’s good to hear your voice.’’ I said. ‘’I miss the two of you. When I’m better I’ll help you with Dean. Then we’ll talk. God, I’m away for two seconds and you’re in trouble.’’ Sam laughed and I smiled at the sound. ‘’We’ll fix Dean,’’ I promised. ‘’Then you can come and stay with me for a bit, have a break. I’m in New Orleans, French Quarter.’’

      ‘’Party City. Are you staying with people or…?’’ he asked.

      ‘’Yeah, I’m with some friends. I could show you the city and you can meet the people I’ve shared most of my life with.’’

      ‘’Are they vamps?’’ he asked hesitantly.

      ‘’Yeah. That’ll give Dean a shock.’’ We laughed. ‘’I miss you, Sammy. I miss you both so much.’’

      ‘’I miss you, too. It’s good hearing your voice again. I’ll see you soon, ok?’’

      ‘’Bye, Tallie.’’

      I smiled. ‘’Bye, Sam. Keep safe.’’

      We hung up and I flopped down onto my bed.

      ‘’Who was that?’’ Klaus appeared at my door, a grin on his face.

      ‘’My friend. What do you want Klaus?’’ I sighed, not looking at him.

      ‘’I just came to let you know that Hayley is here. She wants to talk to you.’’ I nodded, not moving to get off the bed.

      ‘’I’ll be down in a sec.’’

            ‘’Don’t worry about it. I’m already here.’’ Hayley said. She was standing in my doorway nervously. Klaus looked between us and I nodded, we were going to be fine. He strolled off down the hall.

            ‘’Have a seat.’’ I patted the bed next to me. She lay down beside me, resting her hands on her stomach. We both stared at the ceiling in silence.

            ‘’I heard about the hex.’’ She said quietly. ‘’I’m really sorry.’’

            ‘’What for?’’ I asked. ‘’It’s not going to kill me, according to Davina. We don’t even know what it does, apart from make me really hungry and able to force myself into other people’s minds.’’

            ‘’It must be hard though, the hunger thing. I am having enough trouble myself, but I can’t imagine what it’s like for you. A thousand years of self-control and it all goes out the window.’’

            ‘’It’s not fun.’’ I agreed. ‘’But I’m guessing that you’re not here to talk about feeding. I’m guessing this is about your daughter.’’

            I felt Hayley nod. ‘’How did you deal with it? When you lost yours?’’

            ‘’I didn’t.’’ I admitted. ‘’I Turned off my humanity and went on a 100 year killing spree. A witch captured me and literally tortured me until I switched it back on.’’

            ‘’Did it help?’’

            ‘’Not really. When I switched it on, everything hit me. The guilt from my kills, the pain and grief from the loss of a child… its unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. I know that we’re not close, but Hayley, I am _always_ here if you need something.’’

            ‘’Thank you, Tallie.’’ She whispered. After a moment she asked, ‘’What happened to the witch who tortured you?’’

            ‘’I lived with her and her coven for the rest of her life. She was a really good friend. They were all good people. I stayed with them until I located the Mikaelsons. When I left she’d just had her second son. As far as I know she grew old and died naturally, as did all her children, and her children’s children.’’ We were silent for a while, just thinking. ‘’How are you finding your transition?’’

            ‘’I’m fine, I guess. I’m still trying to process everything. I mean… I’m immortal now. How to you comprehend that? And the pure _power_ that I feel… I feel like I’m drunk on it.’’

            ‘’You’ll get used to it. You get to see history lived out and it’s amazing. And the power? You’ll become accustomed to that as well. Just make sure you don’t abuse it.’’ I said. I remember that feeling, even though it was so long ago.    ‘’Promise me something, don’t abuse that power. You’ll end up with so much guilt that it’ll burst when you least want it to.’’

            ‘’I’ll certainly try.’’

            ‘’I know about your werewolf hunts. That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Hayley. Are you sure that you want to continue on that path?’’ I asked, looking at her.

            ‘’They killed my baby. They deserve it. I thought that you would understand that.’’ She growled.

            ‘’I do understand, but it’s a dark road. Just be warned of that.’’

            ‘’I miss her.’’ Hayley whispered. ‘’I miss her so much.’’

            ‘’I know.’’ A tear built in my eye and I squeezed them shut.

            ‘’Does the pain fade?’’

            ‘’Not really, you just learn to ignore it or bury it under other emotions.’’

            ‘’Thank you for talking.’’ She said, sitting up.

            ‘’Again, I’m here if you need anything.’’ Hayley nodded, then left the room.

            ‘’You’re a good influence on her.’’ Elijah was standing on my balcony. He must’ve jumped up while we were talking.

            ‘’I know what’s she’s feeling, both her and Klaus. They’re lucky to have each other.’’ I sighed.

            Elijah looked down. ‘’I found something.’’

            I jumped off the bed. ‘’Did you find the bitch doing this?’’

            ‘’Language, but no. I did find something interesting though. Around the time you first killed, a coven of witches arrived. Nobody knows who they are, or what they’re doing here. I did manage to find a name nevertheless, Kaitlyn Hobbs.  I thought that we would pay her a visit. Also, Davina gave me a potion to lessen the hunger. It won’t affect the hex but it’ll diminish the burn.’’

            I caught the vial he tossed out of mid-air. The inside liquid was a radioactive green and when I removed the cork at the top, it smelt like rotten flesh.

            ‘’Yummy.’’ I said dryly. Elijah grimaced at the smell.

            ‘’Drink up. We have witches to interrogate.’’


	5. Chapter 4

‘’Well, they’re nothing if not stylish.’’ I said as we strolled through the lobby of the Palace Royale. It was all old elegance inside. Whatever Davina had given me was working; the urge to rip heads off was nearly gone but the burn still remained. I should get a bucket of the stuff. I spotted the concierge desk. Behind it sat a bored-looking teenage boy.

 "Wait here.’’ I told Elijah. I walked up to the desk, swaying my hips to catch the boy’s attention.

‘’Hello.’’ I purred.

He jumped to attention at the sight of me. ‘’Hello, ma’am. How may I help you?’’

‘’I was looking for a friend of mine, Kaitlyn Hobbs. She checked in here a few weeks ago. I came to visit her but she forgot to tell me her room number and she’s not answering her phone. You wouldn’t be able to find it out for me, would you?’’ I asked, smiling seductively. It would’ve been so much easier to compel him, but I wasn’t sure how much Davina’s potion affected me.

‘’I’m not allowed to, I’m afraid.’’ Stuttered the poor boy.

I leant on the desk, pressing my breasts together in my tank top. ‘’Why don’t we keep it a secret, David?’’ I whispered, reading his name tag.

His eyes glanced down to my neck line. ‘’Sure thing. Just a sec.’’

‘’Fabulous, thank you so much.’’ I grinned, nodding for Elijah to come over.

He strode to the desk, looking murderous. David started at Elijah’s appearance in front of him. ‘’Can I help you, sir?’’ he managed.

‘’Oh, he’s with me.’’ I said. The poor boy squeaked.

‘’She’s in room 515, on the fifth floor.’’ He spluttered.

I nodded my gratitude and walked towards the elevators. When we were inside I turned to Elijah. ‘’That wasn’t very nice, was it Elijah? That poor boy felt _so_ inadequate.’’

He silently looked at me before turning to watch the numbers on the screen. I grinned and turned back to the silver doors. We walked down the corridor and found the room.

‘’How should we-?’’ he begun. I grinned at him then kicked the door in. It flew off the hinges and slid across the room. I stalked inside, followed by Elijah.

‘’You always were dramatic.’’ Elijah sighed.

A redheaded witch appeared, coming to investigate what the noise was. When she saw the two vampires she raised her hand. Before she could cast and nasty spells I grabbed a nearby decorative plastic apple and threw it at her head. It knocked her out cold and she slumped to the floor. Two more witched appeared from the bedroom. Elijah and I grabbed one each.

‘’Now, which one of you is Kaitlyn Hobbs?’’ Elijah asked.

‘’Vile creatures,’’ spat the witch Elijah held. She looked to be in her early 20’s, with near white blond hair and brown eyes. The one I had tried to raise her arms but I caught them and twisted her arms up behind her back.

‘’Don’t make me snap your arms off.’’ I growled. ‘’I’ve been having a bad few weeks and I’m not feeling particularly forgiving. I have a little problem; see I can’t stop feeding. The only way I’m not tearing your head off right now if because a friend of mine made a potion that tastes like a corpse. I have no idea how long it lasts so answer my friends question before I drain you.’’

The witches didn’t speak. I yanked my witch’s arm up high her back and she yelped in pain.

‘’Ok, ok! It’s me. I’m Kaitlyn.’’ The one Elijah held cried. ‘’Just let my friends go.’’

I used the edge of my hands to slam down on my witch’s shoulders and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Elijah grabbed Kaitlyn and we yanked her to the bedroom, closing the door. After a second though I walked back outside and placed the door back in the frame as best I could. In the bedroom, Elijah had pulled out the desk chair and sat opposite the bed where the witch was seated. I stood by the door in case she or her friends tried a runner.

‘’Why have you hexed me?’’ I demanded.

‘’Because vampires are an abomination of nature!’’ She snarled.

‘’Ok. But why me? There are thousands of other vamps you pick on, yet you put a non-fatal hex on me. Why? Why not just kill me? All the vampires I sired will die.’’

‘’The hex is punishment for your crime.’’

‘’What crime do you refer to?’’ Elijah asked, voice disturbingly quiet. ‘’We each have committed many over the centuries.’’

‘’You killed someone important to our coven leader.’’

‘’Who?’’ I yelled. I could feel the potion’s effects start to wear off, my hunger was more noticeable now. Black veins flashed under my eyes and my fangs grew in my mouth. Elijah jumped to intercept me just as I leapt for the witch. When we were distracted she chanted something, gripping the pendant around her neck. There was a bang and the witch disappeared. Elijah ran to the others just as they disappeared. They were all gone.

      I didn’t sleep that night. My mind whirled with possible crimes; did I kill someone? Did I hurt them? Turn them? I tossed and turned, then eventually gave up on sleep. On a whim I picked up my phone and dialled Sam’s number.

      It picked up on the first ring. ‘’Hello?’’ said Sam

      ‘’God, I’m sorry. Did I wake you?’’ _Why did I do this?_

      ‘’Nope. I already had my four hours. Why aren’t you asleep?’’ Sam asked,

      ‘’People are accusing me of things and I’m trying to figure out what it is I did.’’ I grumbled. ‘’Distract me; what did I miss in the past year? Before Dean turned into a demon, of course.’’

      Sam laughed. ‘’It’s not good. A Knight of Hell is on the loose.’’

      ‘’A Knight of Hell? Tell me more.’’

      So he did. We talked for nearly four hours. He told me about Crowley and Abaddon and his grandfather Henry. It was a welcome distraction from my own problems. After reassuring him that I was here if he needed any research done we hung up.

 I slept with the nightmares/dreams/memories that night. I think it was a welcome change for everyone in the house. For a while, it was nearly normal. I had a blood bag then picked a sunny window to sit under and read. I was halfway through Dante’s Inferno when it happened. Two holes opened up in my neck, deep enough to go through an artery. I screamed as fire raced through my veins. It felt like someone was ripping my throat off. I gurgled as blood filled my wind pipe.

‘’Tallie.’’ Hayley appeared at my side. I collapsed against her, soaking her shirt in blood. _I wasn’t healing._

‘’Elijah! Klaus! Someone help!’’ she yelled.


	6. Chapter 5

I was laid out on a table in the courtyard. Elijah cradled my head while Klaus demanded Marcel to bring Davina down. I gurgled on my own blood. I had died once on the short journey from the hall to the courtyard but I had been resurrected faster than usual. I was starting to panic now; was this what my victims felt like when I killed them?  
‘’Alessandra, you need to calm down. Your blood is pumping too fast; you need to slow your heart rate.’’ Elijah implored. I nodded, or tried to. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing as evenly as I could. Behind Elijah stood a dark haired girl. No, not again. Please not again. She smiled, then disappeared around a corner. Then the blood stopped. I could feel the wounds heal. I coughed up blood as my airways cleared. I gasped in a lungful of clean, blood free-air. After a moment I flopped back down on the table.

* * *

 

  
‘’I. Fucking. Hate. Witches.’’ I growled, leaning my arm over my eyes.  
‘’Language,’’ warned Elijah.  
‘’What the hell was that?’’ Hayley demanded.  
‘’That was a hex. A coven of bitches put it on me for an unknown crime I supposedly committed.’’ I sighed.  
‘’I thought hexes killed you in a few days, like Father Kieran; the feeding thing has been going on for weeks,’’ she said.  
‘’This one doesn’t kill, apparently. It just torments.’’ I sighed.  
‘’Do you have any ideas who could be torturing you?’’ Klaus asked.   
‘’We got a name and visited her earlier today,’’ said Elijah. ‘’She and her two friends disappeared during questioning.’’  
‘’Right then. I’m going on a witch hunt. Nobody hurts my family and lives.’’ He strode towards the entrance.   
‘’I’m coming.’’ Hayley followed behind him and I saw Elijah watching after her.

  
‘’I’m sorry; I’m taking up your time with Hayley.’’ I said. The blood on the floor had congealed and I stared at the small puddle.  
‘’I can assure you, you’re not. She doesn’t want to talk to me. Not since…’ He trailed off.  
‘’You don’t need to watch me all the time. Go mend fences with her.’’  
‘’Why are you so obsessed with me talking with Hayley?’’ he glanced at me in confusion.  
‘’I see the way you two look at each other. You love her and now she’s immortal. You could spend eternity together.’’ I looked at the ground. It broke my heart to say that, but it was true. My feelings for Elijah were obviously not reciprocated. There was no point in denying him happiness.  
‘’There is nothing going on between us,’’ he insisted.  
‘’Uh huh. And I’m the Pope.’’ I smiled. He gave me a sly side grin.

* * *

 

‘’Here.’’ Davina handed me a jar of the green drink. I took it, nodding thanks. She had arrived soon after Klaus and Hayley left. ‘’Take it every three hours if you have to go out in public. I’m looking for that coven as well. I haven’t found anything but I did get something about your hex. The aim is to reveal the ‘crime’ to the victim. It worsens the traits the species of the person is. So humans become greedy and power-hungry. Witches want more power of a bigger coven. Vampires- ‘’  
‘’Obsess over feeding.’’ I finished. ‘’What’s the point?’’  
‘’Witches used to use it to torment prisoners or traitors. They would feel the trait thing first, then they would be tormented by hallucinations which increase slowly over time… which eventually drove them mad and either the coven killed them, or the victim committed suicide.’’ She said hesitantly.   
I nodded. ‘’Ok; so my hallucinations begun a few days ago, I haven’t had one since then so I’m probably in the early stages. That means it’s going to get worse and they’ll drive me mad. Then they’ll either kill me or I’ll spend eternity insane.’’ Davina nodded grimly. ‘’So how do I break it?’’  
‘’Like most spells, it can only be broken by the blood of the witch who cast it, or one of their relations.’’  
‘’How do we find out who cast it?’’  
‘’I can do a spell, but it’ll be extremely painful. The way the book talked about the hex, it sounded like a living thing. It will detect threats and retaliate. It’s very likely that the spell will make it worse. If I do this, you may not come out of it sane.’’  
I sighed. ‘’Davina; have I recently told you how much I hate witches?’’  
‘’No offence.’’ I added.  
‘’No, I understand.’’ She gave me a small smile. ‘’I’ll leave you to think about it. Let me know when you decide.’’  
‘’Thank you, Davina. I know that you and Klaus are- ‘’  
‘’You’re not Klaus, Tallie. You’ve always been kind to everyone, I’m not going to punish you for knowing Klaus.’’  
I nodded thanks and she turned as left, glaring at Klaus as she passed him.  
‘’I do like her.’’ I said, when Davina was out of earshot. ‘’She’s got spunk.’’  
‘’What are you going to do?’’ Elijah asked. He was sitting the corner chair. His hands were pressed together in front of him.  
‘’I think I’ll do the spell,’’ I said. ‘’If I do the spell I could go crazy. If I don’t I will definitely go crazy. I don’t know about you, but a permanently crazy Original vampire doesn’t sound like a good thing.’’  
‘’Well, if it comes down to it, we could always dagger you.’’ Klaus offered.  
‘’Fine.’’ Elijah open his mouth to protest but I held a hand up to silence him. ‘’But only if I start endangering people. Both of you promise me.’’  
The brother nodded.  
‘’Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to rinse this blood off me.’’  
‘’Of course, sister.’’ Klaus nodded and strode from the room.  
‘’Elijah- ‘’ I begun.  
‘’I think you should do the spell.’’ He interrupted, standing up and buttoning his jacket. ‘’There is a chance, however slight, that you will come out whole. I think we should accept before you get worse.’’  
‘’But if I do go nuts- ‘’  
‘’Then we’ll… disable you until we find a way to reverse it. This family had lost too many members already; I’m not going to add you to that every-growing list.’’ He stated.  
I nodded. ‘’Ok. I’ll trust you but please make sure that I don’t hurt anybody else. I can’t kill any more people.’’  
‘’I give you my word.’’ He said solemnly.   
‘’Thank you, Elijah. For everything.’’ He nodded and left the room.  
When I was sure he was gone, I turned to the girl in the corner.  
‘’What the hell do you want?’’ I growled.

* * *

 

‘’Mother, that’s no way to treat your long lost daughter.’’ She chided. Blood and dirt coated her face, as if she had just crawled from the grave.

‘’You’re not real; I’ll speak to you however I please.’’  
‘’That’s not very nurturing of you. Did you enjoy our little present earlier today? The blood is going to stain that top.’’  
‘’Tell me; what is the point of this? Why is the coven tantalizing me?’’  
‘’The hex serves to punish those who’ve sinned. Each ‘episode’ serves as a clue to your crime.’’  
‘’And what happens when I figure out the crime?’’  
She walked over to my dresser, picking up bottles of perfume, reading the labels and replacing them. ‘’Normally, you’d die. Painfully. But you can’t die I have no idea. Maybe you’ll get trapped in an endless cycle of living and dying, always in pain. That sounds fun!’’  
‘’So are you a clue?’’  
‘’Maybe.’’ She grinned. ‘’That’s all we have time for. Bye.’  
She disappeared and I was let standing in an empty room, mind reeling.


	7. Chapter 6

      I was so screwed. I had literally ripped out _hundreds_ of throats. How was I supposed to remember just one? I sighed and turned off the water. My bathroom was fogged up with steam from the shower and I wiped the mirror with my hand to clear the condensation. The blood was gone, my shirt was ruined and I was hungry… again.

      A surge of helplessness rose up in me. I growled and punched the mirror, shattering it. Glass rained down on the counter and floor. I yelped as a piece stuck in my foot. As I reached down to pull it out, something caught my eye. A reflection of a small boy standing behind me. I whirled around but nobody was there. I checked the glass again, heart racing. Nothing. There nobody here.

      ‘’Alessandra!’’ Elijah appeared in the bathroom doorway. I gasped and pulled my towel tighter around my body.

      ‘’Elijah! Knock!’’ I cried.

      ‘’I heard glass shatter… what happened to the mirror?’’ He looked at the glass scattered around me and the blood on my foot.

      ‘’I… I punched it. I just got so angry… I needed to hit something.’’ I whispered, looking at the mess around me. ‘’I think it’s the hex; heightening my emotions.’’ A tear slipped down my cheek. ‘’I don’t think I’m going to get out of this, Elijah.

      ‘’We will get through this, I assure you. I won’t lose another member of this family.’’

I nodded and Elijah picked me up bridal style and carried me across the glass littered floor. The wound on my foot had long since healed and only a smudge of blood remained. Elijah placed me gently on the bed, still wrapped in the towel. He swiped the blood off my foot swipe of this thumb.

      ‘’Elijah,’’ I grabbed his arm. ‘’Thank you… for helping me. It’s more than I deserve.’’

      ‘’No, you deserve more than this. I promise we will remove this hex from you.’’ He gave me a small smile, then left me to get dressed.

            It was like being a human again. The mood swings I experienced were similar to the cycles I experienced as a human woman. Just without all the blood and pain. I tried cutting myself off from everyone, but Elijah wouldn’t allow it. Then I tried ignoring everyone but Klaus and Marcel made a point of ensuring that I had a conversation with each of them every day. Then I found something that worked; gym. I found one near Marcels house. He picked me up every morning to drive me there, ensuring that no innocents died.

            Inside the gym was an area with weight machines, treadmills, spin bikes; all the usual stuff. One wall was made of mirrors with a ballet bar for stretching. But it was the gymnastics area at the back that I was most interested in. In the early 2000’s, I had trained in gymnastics.  I found that the flexibility and precision it offered helped me in fighting and provided a safe release for all the pent up energy I had. I used it now, spending hours flipping through the air on the trampoline, or swinging around in circles on the uneven bars. Even the rough silks in the corner allowed me to stretch out my muscles and tumble through the air.

            While I bent my body this way and that, Kaitlyn Hobbs and her coven were hunted through the street’s now by humans compelled by Elijah. It had been two weeks and nothing had turned up. My hallucinations worsened by the hour. Right now the room seemed full of literal skeletons, all watching me on the balance beam. My hunger was barely manageable and my emotions were all over the place. I felt like I was spinning out of control.

* * *

 

 I sighed and flipped off the beam, landing on the floor. After collecting my bag and changing into clean clothes I head outside to wait for Marcel. I stood on the corner, anticipating his black SUV to come around the corner when I heard it; witches chanting. Down the street strode Kaitlyn, hands raised towards me, chanting. There was a snap, and both my shins broke. I crunched to the ground, screaming as one by one, each bone in my body snapped. By the time Kaitlyn was in front of me, I was a distorted mess, crumpled on the pavement, barely conscious because of the pain.

‘’Hello again.’’ She smiled.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

‘’Marcellus. We agreed that you would return Alessandra every day at 12pm exactly. Where is she?’’ Through the phone’s tinny speakers, I could hear traffic in the background, along with the hum of an engine.

            ‘’I don’t have her, Elijah. She wasn’t on the street corner where I always pick her up. She’s gone. Are you sure that she didn’t decide to walk?’’

            ‘’Alessandra knows that she is uncontrollable around humans, she wouldn’t put them in danger by walking unaccompanied in public. She was even hesitant to even wait for you outside. Someone must’ve taken her.’’

            ‘I’ll get Josh out looking for her.’’ Marcel hung up.

            ‘’Trouble, brother?’’ Klaus appeared behind me, drink in hand.

            ‘’Alessandra has gone missing. I’m going to look for her. Do try not to kill anyone in my absence.’’ Klaus gave me and I walked from the room, snagging my jacket from its hook as I passed.

            In my pocket my phone rang, I grabbed the device, glancing at the caller ID.

            ‘’Alessandra?’’ I asked urgently. ‘’Where are you?’’

            ‘’I don’t know. Elijah, the witches got me.’’ She was panting heavily. Past that, I could hear no clue as to her whereabouts; it was completely silent. ‘’I’m in a cave. Elijah, there’s blood everywhere. I- ‘’

            ‘’What’s she got?’’ I heard a voice yell. ‘’Grab it.’’

            There was a scream. ‘’You bit me! You bitch!’’ Alessandra screamed and the phone was dropped.

            ‘’Elijah Mikaelson.’’ A female voice floated over the speakers.

            ‘’Kaitlyn.’’ I growled. ‘’Touch her and you die. Release Alessandra this minute and I _may_ consider making your death a quick and relatively painless one.’’

            Kaitlyn laughed. ‘’That’s not going to happen. Alessandra has some offences she has to pay for. I’ll give her back to you when I’m done… if she’s alive.’’

            I heard the phone dropped and then a dial tone.

‘’Niklaus!’’ I roared. ‘’We’re going on a hunt!’’

He appeared on one of the balconies. ‘’And who might we be hunting?’’

‘’Witches have taken Alessandra. I want her back before they can touch a hair on her.’’

Klaus grinned. ‘’Well, I never was one to turn down a good massacre.’’


	8. Chapter 7

**Elijah**

Nothing. I couldn’t find her anywhere. She was simply gone. I stormed into the compound, smashing the nearest chair against the brick wall.

‘’What did the chair do to you?’’ Hayley asked. She was on the other side of the courtyard where I was standing, a blood bag in her hand.

‘’Alessandra had been taken by witches.’’ I snarled, running a hand across my forehead.

‘’What about a locator spell? Did you ask Davina?’’ Hayley offered.

‘’Nothing. They must be cloaked.’’ I took in a deep breath.

She sighed. ‘’What else can we do for Tallie?’’

‘’Nothing at the moment.’’ Klaus said, strolling through the entrance. ‘’It’s best if we rest now and resume our hunt in the morning.’’

‘’Well, they can’t kill her, can they? Unless they are the ones with the white oak stake.’’

‘’I highly doubt they possess it, or even know that she is an Original.’’ Klaus said. ‘’They haven’t been in town for long enough, but I hate to think what they’ll do to her when they realize that she cannot be killed.’’

* * *

 

**Tallie**

            I was in a small, damp cave. Dried blood coated the walls and floor and no sound pierced through the rock that dungeon was carved out of. It was freezing in here so I assumed that we were deep underground. I had a sentry stationed out the door; one of the witches that had been at the Palace Royale with Kaitlyn. I think it was the one I knocked out with a plastic apple.

            When they had chucked me in here, Kaitlyn had removed the hex. The relief from the burn of hunger was short lived when the metal door was locked and bolted.

            ‘’Hey.’’ I said, sidling up to the bars that covered the entrance. ‘’Why is there blood on the floor?’’

            ‘’You’re not the first vampire we’ve… entertained here.’

            A moment to process. Then, ‘’I’m bored.’’

‘’I’m not allowed to talk to you.’’ She said, not turning. I needed her to turn around so I could compel her.

            ‘’Ok, then. How long are you keeping me here?’’ I pressed my face to the bars. As soon as I did, I yelped and leapt back when they burned my skin.

            She turned to me smiling. ‘’However long we want. I’d watch out, the bars are coated in vervain. We all drink it as well, so compulsion is impossible.’’

            ‘’Wow. You certainly are prepared.’’ I looked around the entrance, searching for a weakness.

            ‘’We’ve had 20 years to plan for this. Now, finally we can punish you for your crimes.’

            ‘’Do I get to know what I’ve done?’’ I asked, staying well away from the bars. The witch ignored me.

            Sighing, I turned from her and went about learning every nook and cranny of my cell. I was simultaneously searching for an escape and looking for something to use as a weapon. Nothing. Nothing at all. 

It took me a few hours, but I eventually got bored to trying to strike up a conversation. Instead, to entertain myself, I did a handstand on the wall while singing Ed Sheeran song’s over and over again. On my fourth rendition of ‘UNI’ the witch broke.

            ‘’Oh, shut up!’’ she cried, spinning around. I sped forwards and reached through the bars, pulling her until she was pressed against them. I ignored the burning pain where my skin came into contact with the vervain bars.

            ‘’Let me go.’’ I snarled.

            ‘’You can’t compel me.’’ She managed. ‘’I’m on vervain.’’

            ‘’I’m not trying to compel you.’’ The black veins under my eyes appeared and my fangs elongated. ‘’Let. Me. Go!’’

            ‘’Let the girl go,’’ called a voice. I looked over the witch’s shoulder to see Kaitlyn, holding a black duffel bag.

            ‘’No.’’ I growled, pulling her tighter. The girl screamed as her face was crunched into the metal bars. Kaitlyn raised her hand and pain exploded through my skull. I released the girl and crumped to my knees.

            ‘’You have a very pretty voice. Such as shame it belongs to a monster.’’ She said, studying me. ‘’Oh well. You were saying that you’re bored? Well, I’m here to entertain you… sort of. It’ll be more fun for me than it will be for you.’’

            ‘’Touch me and I’ll kill you.’’ I snarled.

            ‘’Oh, I don’t have to touch you. I just have to do this.’’ She raised her hand and the bones in my legs shattered. I screamed and fell to the floor.

            ‘’Tha… that the best you got?’’ I panted, glaring at her.

            ‘’No.’’ Another flick of the wrist and my shoulders dislocated. I bit down on my tongue to stop myself from making any noise. My back was next to go. Only when she was sure I was paralysed did she enter my cell. She held a hand over my heart and muttered something. When she was done she smiled down at me.

            ‘’Have fun. I’ll see you in twelve hours.’’ She got up and left. I writhed in pain on the ground as my bones mended. The sentry grinned down at me from outside the bars. I hissed at her and she stepped back. That’s when the first ghost appeared.

            It was girl in her early twenties. She wore a white nightgown, stained with blood. I watched her warily.

            ‘’Hello.’’ She gurgled. Blood bubbled out of her mouth and dripped onto the floor.

            ‘’Who are you?’’ I asked, scrambling away from her.

            ‘’Alex. You killed me on my wedding night 20 years ago.’’

            ‘’Are you my crime? Is all this because I killed you?’’ I gasped. _Surely not. All this for one person._

            ‘’No. I was one of many. You killed my coven. Now you’ll feel our pain.’’ She lunged forwards, hands reaching for my shoulders. When she touched them, pain flared out from my neck. I screamed and I heard my sentry laugh.

            The next girl dressed in white appeared. The process repeated itself. More and more people I didn’t recognize appeared in front of me and each time they touched me, I felt the pain of their deaths. 5 times it felt like my throat was torn out. 3 times it was my heart ripped from my chest. 6 times my neck was snapped. 14 deaths, all relived. By the end of the 12 hours, I was lying stoically on the floor. The overwhelming pain drowned out my senses.

When Kaitlyn came to visit again, I didn’t even look at her. The burn in my throat, not aided my any spell, paired with the pain from the hallucinations left me no energy to talk.

            ‘’Well. Not such a big bad vampire now, are we?’’ she laughed. She gestured and a trolley was wheeled in by another two witches. The metal straps jingled as it was pushed up next to me. The witches raised their hands my arms and legs clamped together. Struggle as I might, I couldn’t break through their magic. I was lifted onto the hard trolley and the straps locked themselves around my limbs. I pulled and pushed every which way, but I couldn’t break free. I screamed as a vervain soaked rag was shoved into my mouth by the sentry girl. Steam rose from my mouth as it burnt away the skin.

            ‘’Holly, could you be a dear and go collect this stuff from Loraine. My order should be ready.’’ She handed a list to the black haired witch who had helped with the trolley. Holly obediently took the paper and left the cell.

            ‘’Now for the real fun.’’ Kaitlyn beamed.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

Alessandra had been missing for 12 hours. Twelve whole hours and we had _nothing_. Locator spells weren’t working, her phone didn’t have a signal and we had scoured the city… nothing. I knew that the longer she spent with the witches, the closer they were to discovering that she couldn’t die… if they didn’t know already.

            ‘’Let me go!’’ I heard a voice yell. Klaus was dragging a black haired girl into the courtyard.

            ‘’Look who I found! She reeks of Alessandra.’’ He pronounced.

            She looked frantically between us. ‘’Who’s Alessandra?’’

            ‘’Do not play games with me, child.’’ I growled and strode up to her. I wrapped my fingers around her neck and lifted her off the ground. ‘’Where is she?’’

* * *

 

**Tallie**

The vervain under my skin burned but I had given up screaming long ago. The cuts the herb were shoved under had healed. Much to the witch’s pleasure, they took a lot longer than usual. The tear-stained mattress below me squeaked as I pulled at the restraints.

            ‘’Why are you doing this?’’ I pleaded.

            Kaitlyn grinned down at me. ‘’The ancestors, especially the ones you killed, want revenge. I’ll continue to cause you pain until they feel that your debt is paid. Then, I’ll kill you.’’ She pulled a stake from under the trolley. ‘’This stake was made from the tree under which you committed the massacre. You will die by it.’’

            Again, I searched my memory for a crime which would’ve warranted this, committed under a tree. Something to do with 14 witches. Then I remembered; during the early 90’s I settled in a town I hadn’t realized was full of witches until they tried to run me out of town. They hadn’t realized that I was an Original and I was unkillable without the white oak stake. I had fought back and ended up killing fourteen witches before I escaped.

            ‘’So, I killed some of a coven? You rebuilt! Why punish me now?’’ I cried.

            ‘’That coven was supposed to merge with ours! We were going to be twice as strong as any other coven on the planet.’’ Kaitlyn screamed. ‘’So we’ll kill you so that the ancestors can exact their own revenge on you.’’

            That’s when I panicked; if she didn’t know now, when she stabbed me and I didn’t desiccate, she would realize that I couldn’t die. What monstrosities would she commit to try and kill me?

* * *

 

**Elijah**

            ‘’I’m not telling you anything, abomination!’’ she yelled for the umpteenth time.

            ‘’We’ve been holding you for several days. I’m sure that your coven is wondering where you’ve been. Maybe we’ll send them your head.’’ Klaus offered.

            ‘’No. She is serving penance for her crime!’’ The girl cried.

            ‘’Crime, everyone always said that she committed a crime but they never say _what_ she did!’’ Klaus yelled. Though the girl, Holly, revealed nothing on her face, her racing heart told me exactly how scared she was.

            ‘’The ancestors don’t want you knowing where she is. I’m not allowed to tell.’’ She insisted.

            ‘’I say we compel her.’’ Klaus proposed, moving towards the girl. Her eyes widened and she tried to slide backwards. The chair caught on the edge of the carpet and she toppled over. I sighed, before walking over to right her.

            ‘’Please! Please don’t do that. If I betray my coven… the ancestors will kill me!’’ she begged.

            ‘’Well, we do have other methods of extracting the information.’’ I crouched in front of the terrified girl. ‘’But I’d rather not use them. Just tell us where your coven is.’’

            The girl sealed her lips together, a spark of defiance in her eye.

            ‘’Fine then.’’ I rolled up my sleeves and removed my watch.

            While I was distracted the witch uttered an incantation. Almost immediately she started convulsing. I heard her heart beat faster and faster until it stopped completely.

            ‘’Well, that’s unfortunate.’’ Klaus sighed.

* * *

 

**Tallie**

I gritted my teeth as the vervain cuts were reopened and more of the flower stuffed in. I had so many sprigs under my skin that I couldn’t move without screaming in pain. Kaitlyn watched from her position leaning against the wall as one of the other witches, I had heard someone call her Heather, cut into me using a rusty knife.

            ‘’It’s lucky I’m immune to tetanus. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to ‘punish’ me for very long.’’ I groaned. 

            ‘’I see you haven’t lost your wit.’’ Remarked Kaitlyn. ‘’I think that it’s time for a little something extra. Holly will return with the herbs soon, we’ll begin the spell then.’’

            ‘’Didn’t you send her out hours ago?’’ asked Heather. ‘’Where was she?’’

            ‘’She probably got lost, she’s useless.’’ She nodded to Heather and vervain was stuffed down my throat. I screamed as it burned my oesophagus. ‘’We should do the spell now.’’ She turned to me. The vervain had burnt my voice box out completely so I couldn’t speak. ‘’It’s a nasty one we dug up from our archives. It’s worse than any physical torture we can perform. By the time we’re done with you, you’ll beg for death.’’ She laughed and the three witches joined hands over my prone body.

            Over the centuries, I have been tortured many times. Whether it was due to mistaken identity, revenge, pure curiosity or for information. I have been drowned, stabbed, staked, hung, my neck broken, my throat cut and had bits chopped off more times that I can count, but even the tremendous pain I experienced those times was nothing compared to this torment.

* * *

 

      I was standing at the kitchen counter, washing up dishes when two arms wound their way around me. I grinned, not looking up from my chore.

      ‘’Good morning.’’ Elijah grinned. ‘’How is my son doing today?’’

      His hands floated over my swollen stomach, calming the child inside.

      ‘’Your _daughter_ is doing just fine.’’ I laughed. I took off my gloves, slinging them over the tap to dry. Spinning around, I wrapped by hands around Elijah’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss. The morning sun warmed my back as he pulled me closer.

      ‘’I have to work.’’ He groaned, pulling away.

      I pouted. ‘’When will you finish?’’

      ‘’Midday. I’ll see you later, ok?’’ he gave me one last smile before pulling away. Grinning, I turned back to cleaning the kitchen. My heart was nearly bursting with the love and joy I felt. It was perfect.

      ‘’This is your heart’s desire?’’ A voice asked. I pun around to see a blonde woman standing in my kitchen, she looked around, disgusted.

      ‘’Who are you and what are you doing in my house?’’ I growled, picking up a nearby knife.

      ‘’Come on, Tallulah. You’re really telling me that a century old vampire can’t see through the illusion?’’ she grinned.

      ‘’What are you- ‘’ the kitchen faded and I was back in the caves. Kaitlyn stood outside my bars, arms crossed, grinning. The elation faded and I was left felling desperate and empty.

      ‘’Elijah, eh? I guess I can see it.’’

      ‘’Get out of my head.’’ I snarled. The burn in my stomach was so painful I was having trouble forming legible sentences. Her presence wasn’t helping; I could hear her blood rushing through her veins.

      ‘’No!’’ she laughed. ‘’It’s too fun to watch. I can see now that _physical_ torture is nothing compared to what that spell is doing to you. Enjoy the next few weeks.’’

 


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the crappy, plotless chapter. I wrote this in hospital so I was a bit spaced out on morphine. Unfortunately, this is an important chapter for future plot.

**Elijah**

            Weeks. It had been weeks since Alessandra had been missing, yet we found nothing. No witches knew where she was or could locate her. We had searched every building and house in the Quarter. I yelled in frustration, flipping the table in front of me over. Maps went flying across the room.

            ‘’Control yourself, brother.’’ Klaus warned.

            ‘’It has been _weeks_ since Alessandra went been missing and gathering from the lack of bodies, she has been taken forcefully. If it is the witches that hexed her, I dread to think of what they are doing to her.’’

            ‘’We will continue looking for her. We will find her and those who are responsible will pay.’’ He promised. I nodded. Then something caught my eye, a white sheet of paper poking out from a map of the Quarter. I walked forwards and pulled it out. It was a map of subway tunnels.

            ‘’Did we check the caves?’’ I asked.

            ‘’Beg your pardon?’’

            ‘’The cave’s used to import alcohol in the 20’s. A whole system of them runs under the whole city. It would be easy to modify an alcove into a holding cell.’’ I studied the maps across the floor until I came across an especially faded one. I picked it up, studying it. ‘’Here.’’ I pointed to a dead end. It was right under the gym where she was taken.

            ‘’Let’s go.’’ I strode of the room, Klaus close behind.

* * *

 

 **Tallie**    

This time, when I heard footsteps, I didn’t even try to get up off the ground. The burn of hunger had progressed to glass shards, then knifes continually stabbing. The dreams of a perfect life tormented me; I watched us have a family and live a human life, but I knew that it would never happen. A few days ago, the second stage of the spell showed; more hallucinations.

      The first time, it was Sam and Dean. They appeared at my bars, laughing as I begged them to release me. Next, it was Klaus and Rebekah. They too laughed at my pain and I had curled into a ball, trying to block out the sounds. Currently, it was Elijah. He was explaining why he could never love me, how I was a monster that _nobody_ could love. I just sat against the wall, digging my chipped nails into my palms until I drew blood.

      I had figured out long ago the target of the spell; hope. The visions showed me everything I hoped for, but could never have. The visions of Elijah and the others served to raise my hopes of escape, only to have the people I trust most laugh and mock me.

      The witches had started giving me shot glasses of diluted blood to keep me alive, but I simply ignored it. As I lost strength, it was easier to ignore the small glass sitting by the bars. I had started to desiccate in the last hour, the skin of my fingers was turning grey, the dry veins popping to the surface.

      ‘’Oh, the big bad vampire not feeling to well? I see you haven’t eaten.’’ Kaitlyn appeared. ‘’The ancestors are happy with your suffering. They say you can die now.’’

      I didn’t look at her or move. I couldn’t be bothered. Elijah was laughing at me in the corner.

      I saw a stake rise out of hand and float through the air towards me. I didn’t move as she whispered something and it flew towards me. I didn’t move as it impaled my heart.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

We caught them leaving the caves. Three witches carrying a black body bag. they were laughing, all drinking bourbon from a bottle. When they spotted us though, they halted. The fear on their faces told us everything.

            ‘’Hello, ladies.’’ I said. ‘’I believe you have a friend of mine.’’

            ‘’She’s dead.’’ The blonde one gestured to the body bag they held. The witches let the bag thump to the ground.

            ‘’Well, that’s not very good for you, is it?’’ Klaus smiled. Before we could move, the witches raised their hands and pain exploded in my head. I grunted and fell to my knees.

* * *

 

**Tallie**

            I don’t know where I was, but it was dark and stuffy. I dug at the material that surrounded me, tearing at it, trying to escape. I heard two grunt of pains and a thump. Finally, my fingers found purchase on the plastic and I tore. In front of me, the three witches were chanting in sync, hands held out in front of them. Before them, was Elijah and Klaus. Hearing the tear in plastic the witches turned. Their eyes widened when I pulled the stake from my chest, grimacing as it pulled open the wound.

            ‘’But-but that’s impossible!’’ Kaitlyn whispered.

            ‘’Honey, do some more research on me before you attack. I don’t know what your ancestors told you, but I’m not your everyday vampire… I’m an Original.’’ I launched myself at her, digging my fangs into her neck. I drank deeply; even though it was a hallucination I could still enjoy the feel of the blood sliding down my throat. The other girls screamed and I heard them run. Elijah and Klaus caught them and snapped their necks without a second thought.

            ‘’Ok.’’ I sighed. ‘’I’m ready to wake up now.’’ I looked at them expectantly. ‘’What is the aim of this one? Huh? Let me think I’ve escape just to drag me back into my cell? I get it! I killed your coven and your hope! So you’re killing my hope! I get it! The spell has served its purpose.’’

            ‘’Alessandra, we’re not a spell. We’re real.’’ Elijah walked forwards, hands held out in front of him.

            ‘’Elijah?’’ I whispered, allowing myself to hope just for a second that they were real.

            ‘’It’s me.’’ He smiled.

            ‘’Oh, my god. Thank god!’’ I cried, lunging for him. I pulled him in for a hug, ensuring that he wasn’t a hallucination. When my skin made contact with a solid body I sobbed.

            ‘’It’s ok. You’re ok.’’ He reassured. ‘’Let’s go home.’’


	10. Chapter 9

I was carried home, too weak to walk on my own. Kaitlyn’s blood had prevented me from desiccating any further, but I was still hungry. When we arrived, Elijah made a beeline for the fridge, throwing me a bag. I bit into it eagerly, downing the blood.

      ‘’Have they removed the hex?’’ Elijah asked. I nodded, still unable to speak. _This couldn’t be real, could it?_

      ‘’If it’s ok with you, I’d like to sleep in a bed.’’ He nodded and I made my way upstairs.

      It was weird being home. After sleeping on the cold rock floor then lying, unmoving, on the gurney for so long, my bed was almost too comfy. Then it hit me; this was real. I was home. The visions had stopped. I laughed, then burst into tears. In some sick way, I had looked forward to the visions of what I wanted. Somehow, they had made me happy, seeing us together. I knew that would never happen, I had hurt him too much. But it never hurt to hope.

* * *

 

            By the time morning had come around, I gained control of myself. _I’ve suffered worse. I can get past this._

            Everyone was up by the time I went downstairs, even Hayley. She grinned and embraced me.

            ‘’It’s so good to see you.’’ She laughed.

            ‘’It’s good to be back.’’ I sighed. ‘’I do have to say, my mattress is so much more comfortable than the floor.’’

            ‘’I hope you feel better,’’ she gave me a small smile.

            ‘’I’ll be fine.’’ I smiled. ‘’I’ve suffered worse.’’

            Elijah walked in and took a seat at the counter. ‘’Would you excuse us, Hayley? Alessandra and I need to have a chat.’’ She nodded and left us. I busied myself over the stove with my tea refusing to look at Elijah even though I could feel his eyes on my back.

            ‘’What happened with the witches?’’ He asked finally.

            I knew he wouldn’t let it go until I told him. ‘’At first, they only broke bones, which healed quickly enough. Then a spell they used gave me hallucinations until I figured out what my ‘crime’ was. They used the coven I had killed. I felt every one of their deaths. Then I was strapped to a bed. They cut me and shoved vervain under my skin.’’ I took in a breath to steady myself. ‘’They left me there so I couldn’t pull it out. I couldn’t move. Then was the last one, which was still in effect when you got me. They gave me hope, then ripped it away. Over and over again. That was the worst.’’

            ‘’Are there any lasting effects? Any spells that are still affecting you?’’   

            ‘’No, they removed the hex. So I wouldn’t kill them, I guess. I was lucky though, I don’t think they knew that I was an Original. Otherwise they probably would’ve don’t a lot worse with the torture. But overall, I’ve suffered more. I’ll be fine.’’

            Convinced, Elijah got up to leave the kitchen. ‘’Alessandra?’’

            ‘’Yes?’’

            ‘’What did they show you, to give you hope?’’

            I gave him a sad smile. ‘’My perfect, human life.’’

When I didn’t elaborate he nodded, and left.

* * *

 

      I drank two more blood bags before I left the kitchen. Though I had showered twice yesterday, I had another one. I couldn’t seem to wipe the grime of the past few weeks off me. To others, it may appear that I was unaffected by my time spent with the witches. Truth was, I had buried my feelings. There was no room to worry about me; Hayley and Klaus were dealing with the loss of a child and Hayley’s transition. Elijah was worrying about his family.

      I sighed, before noticing someone on my bed.

      ‘’Elijah,’’ I put on a smile. ‘’I told you I’m fine.’’

      ‘’While I don’t believe that you are fine, I do respect your ability to deal with these things on your own, even if someone attempts to help. Klaus returned to the caves last night and recovered your bag.’’

      He offered up my gym bag and I unzipped it. The smell of my rotten banana permeated the room and I gagged.

      ‘’Well.’’ I sighed, delicately picking through the contents. ‘’I guess that’s going to the bin.’’

      I pulled out out my gym clothes, now covered in decomposing banana juice. I chucked them towards the bathroom to be washed. Then out came my phone. Luckily, the pocket it had been it protected the screen from juice and impact damage. I thanked the Apple gods as the small white symbol appeared on the black background. I lay it on the bed next to Elijah to start while I threw the bag into the bath. At least there it wouldn’t stink up my _entire_ room.

      On the bed, my phone gave a series of vibrations. I sped over and picked it up; missed calls from Sam. There were at least 50.

      ‘’I’m sorry, Elijah. I’ve got to make a call.’’ I looked at him apologetically. he stood up, doing the button of his blazer up.

      ‘’Let me know if there’s anything you need.’’ I nodded and he walked from the room.

      Bracing myself for the storm that was to come.

      ‘’Hey, Sammy.’’ I said.

      ‘’Tallie! You haven’t been answering your phone for weeks! I was worried.’’ He said, panic in his voice.

      ‘’I’m sorry.’’ I rubbed a hand across my forehead. ‘’I was… occupied.’’

      ‘’What do you mean _occupied_?’’ he growled. ‘’Someone was hurting you, weren’t they?’’

      ‘’Sam. I’m fine!’’ I reassured. ‘’I promise. I’m home and surrounded by people who can protect me if anything goes wrong. Plus, the witches are dead.’’           

      ‘’Witches?’’

      ‘’Uhh, yeah.’’

      ‘’God, Tallie. We leave you alone and already witches are involved.’’ He sighed.

      ‘’That’s not the half of it.’’ I whispered.

      ‘’What do you mean? Tallie, exactly how much trouble are you in? we heard about the gang violence, is that… was that- ‘’

      ‘’Us? No, but we’ve got it handled’’ I said.

      ‘’Are you sure?’’

      ‘’I’m positive. How’s it going with Dean?’’

      ‘’It’s… going. I think I’ve nearly found a cure.’’

      I heard someone quietly shuffle outside my room. ‘’I can come down, if you want. I can help.’’

      ‘’No, it’s fine. Just stay there and deal with your problems. If it gets any worse here I’ll call you. Ok?’’

      ‘’If you’re sure, Sammy.’’

      ‘’I am.’’ He affirmed.

      ‘’Ok. Well, I have to go. I’ve got people to deal with.’’ I sighed. ‘’I love you.’’

      ‘’Love you too. Bye, Tallie.’’ We hung up.

      ‘’It’s not nice to eavesdrop, Marcellus.’’ I turned around just as Marcel walked around the corner.

      ‘’Who was that?’’ he grinned.

      ‘’Just some friends. Is there a reason your spying on my phone calls?’’ I gave him a small smile.

      ‘’Elijah wants to make sure that you’re going to be in control, should we have any unexpected visitors.’’ He grinned. ‘’We’re going hunting.’’


	11. Chapter 10

Contrary to popular beliefs, vampirism isn’t sexy. It’s messy and complicated and it hurts.  Yes, it had perks; speed, strength, immortality; but then there was the bloodlust, the extreme emotions and the instinct to kill. Love wasn’t a common occurrence for us and we cherished it for as long as it lasted, which wasn’t usually long. In cases where the hurt from the relationship was too much, we switched off our humanity. But that’s only a temporary solution. After a while, something or someone gets you to turn it back on and the shit hits the fan; the rush of emotions was excruciating. If you didn’t have something to hold onto, it was possible to go completely insane. When you get to my age, you learn to hide guilt and regret behind doors in your mind, but even then it’s always there, just waiting to burst free.

The burn of hunger was ever present in the back of your throat. No matter how much one drank, there was always room for more. As time passes it becomes easier to ignore the feeling, though the risk of killing during a feeding was always there. The guilt of those times wears on you over the years.

* * *

 

      I could feel that burn there now. Living, fresh blood filled my mouth, spurting from the artery of the girl who I was latched onto. Relief flooded my systems as I pulled away without much effort; the hex was gone. I compelled the girl away and looked towards Marcel, who was watching me from across the room. He grinned and started towards me. That when I noticed the two men striding towards us. There was a glint on his finger; a silver ring with something black set into it. Wolves.

      ‘’We have to leave. Now.’’ I grabbed Marcel and we sped past them and out of the bar. We didn’t stop until we ran through the gate of the compound. I looked over my shoulder; there were at least four men walking straight towards us and something told me that there were more out of sight.

      ‘’Elijah!’’ I yelled. He appeared on the balcony, an irritated frown on his face. ‘’The wolves are coming. Get ready to fight.’’ I interrupted. Instantly, Elijah disappeared, probably off to alert Klaus of the situation. Marcel spun towards the entrance just as the four wolves that had been following us burst through the front gate. They growled, eyes glowing yellow.

            ‘’Vampires aren’t allowed in the Quarter.’’ The biggest one said. He was tall and built like a WWE wrestler. He smirked when he caught me studying him. I guess that he was the leader of this group.

            ‘’Yes, well, seeing as we built the city,’’ Elijah appeared next to me, ‘’you’ll have to excuse our refusal to give up what’s ours.’’ The wolves started at his appearance. I grinned as Klaus and Hayley materialized on the other side of me.

            ‘’You’re outnumbered.’’ I said, studying the wolves. The middle one was quite handsome, it would be a shame to kill him. ‘’Are you sure you want to fight?’’

            ‘’Our Alpha doesn’t want vampires in the Quarter, so there will be no vampires in the Quarter. That includes Originals.’’ The cute one growled. I frowned, _oh well. Death it is_.

‘’Plus,’’ he continued. ‘’Who said we were the only ones?’’

             I turned around. Another four were behind us and eight were appearing from either side. I snarled at them.

            ‘’Last chance to get out.’’ I growled. They looked towards the leader and he nodded. The cute one lunged for me. Without hesitation I let my façade drop and my true face emerged; fangs elongated in my mouth and black veins appeared under my eyes. The rush of power was exhilarating, even more so after a recent feed. The werewolf threw a punch at me which I easily dodged. He tried kicking me but I was too fast; young werewolf versus old vampire wasn’t much of a match. He growled in frustration when he couldn’t touch me.

I laughed. ‘’You can still surrender. I promise I won’t tell the Alpha bitch.’’

He snarled and kept up his efforts. The punches and kicks he was throwing were growing sloppier as he got more aggravated.

‘’Can I offer you a tip?’’ I asked, dodging a messy punch. ‘’Don’t let your opponent get to you; once they’re inside your head they’ve won, whether or not you actually physically hurt them.’’

‘’Shut up, leech.’’ He hissed.

‘’Leech? Haven’t heard that before!’’ I said dryly. I noticed Elijah fighting two wolves at once, it looked like he needed help. Thinking that I was distracted, the wolf launched a kick towards my torso. I grabbed his leg and pulled him forwards. He fell to his knees in front of me. He eyes widened in fear when I wrapped my hands around his neck. I hesitated; should I kill him? He was just a kid. I saw the flash of rebellion in his eyes and I made a split second decision. The chop to the side of his neck crushed his windpipe and knocked him out. He would be gone for a while. I sped over to Elijah, appearing behind one of the wolves he was fighting. Grabbing the t-shirt of the nearest one, I flung him into the pillar. Elijah quickly dealt with his opponent before facing the rest of the wolves, who had remained stationary during the whole ordeal. Behind us, Klaus, Marcel and Hayley stood before a pile of wolf bodies, their clothes and faces splattered with blood.

‘’Well?’’ Marcel goaded. ‘’What are you waiting for? Too scared to face a few vampires?’’

They launched themselves at us, growling. I flipped backwards to put space between the two that landed in front of me. As I spun through the air, I kicked a foot out, catching one of the two in the jaw. He yelped and stumbled backwards. The other lunged for me and I delivered a hard punch to the bottom of his nose, crushing it upwards. He screamed as blood ran down his face. The one I had kicked got under my guard; he yanked me forwards, ruining my balance. Before I could react, he had pulled me towards his, back to chest. I could feel his heartbeat racing under my spine.

‘’You’re very pretty, for a bloodsucker. Maybe I’ll keep you for a pet.’’ He snarled in my ear. I growled and flipped over him, snapping his spine in the process. He fell to the ground with a thump. I heard a cry of pain and turned to see a wolf sink her fangs into Marcel’s neck. I lunged for her, grabbing her arm and wrenching her away. Marcel groaned as she tore off part of his neck. I snapped the wolf’s neck before heaving Marcel’s arm across my shoulder; I could already smell the venom leaking from his wound.

‘’Kindly inform your… Alpha, that we have no intention of moving.’’ Elijah stated, gesturing towards the exit. ‘’And don’t forget the rest of your pack.’’ As one, we all moved towards the stairs, leaving the decimated pack of wolves in the courtyard.

As I helped Marcel up the stairs I pondered the changes in my life; since I had left the Winchesters I had killed a few humans (to be fair though, I was hexed) a few more wolves and even some vampires. When I was with Sam and Dean, trying to hide my homicidal tendencies, I had only killed those who hunted and killed humans. I guess being around humans I had subconsciously forced myself to act more human, so no vamping out, no speed or strength and only feeding when necessary. Then I had come to New Orleans; I was surrounded by people who I could be myself around. I didn’t have to worry about them judging me for feeding every day, or using my speed around the house. The fights and killing had become normal again. I wasn’t sure that I was comfortable with that.

‘’Are you ok?’’ Elijah said. I looked up, a reply on my lips, thinking he meant me. I was wrong.

He was standing in a corner with Hayley, hands cradling her face, looking down worriedly at her. She nodded and I could see him breathe a sigh of relief. On the other side of the room I could see Klaus trying to ignore them as he poured blood from a cut on his hand into a glass tumbler. He handed it to Marcel, who I had lowered into an armchair in the corner. Marcel drank the blood eagerly, breathing a sigh of relief when the wolf’s venom was neutralized. Hayley and Elijah were embracing in the corner. I turned away, heart aching. I saw Klaus glance at me but I strode from the room before he could see the tears in my eyes.

* * *

 

 The tears were still wet on my cheek when I heard someone knock on the door to my room. I quickly wiped away the tears. the street below the balcony I was on was quiet, only a few couples strode quickly on the footpaths, hurrying to get home.

‘’I just wanted to say goodbye.’’ Marcel appeared next to me, looking down at the street.

‘’You’re not staying here tonight?’’ I questioned.

‘’No. I have a place across the river. You have an unlimited source of blood if you get bitten but I’m not sure how much longer my access pass is going to last, so I’m getting the hell out of dodge before someone does serious damage. I would offer for you to come, but I know that you’ll be safe here. Plus you can most definitely protect yourself.’’

I gave him a wry smile. ‘’Call if you need anything. If you get hurt, just call. I’ll tie Niklaus down and bleed him if I have to.’’

Marcel laughed. ‘’It was nice to meet you, Tallie.’’ He turned to leave. ‘’I just have a question. Why weren’t you with them in 1720? If you were all Turned together, surely you must have history with the Michaelson’s. it’s not like them to just let one of their own go; you either get daggered or exiled. As far as I can tell, you aren’t afraid of pissing Klaus off at all.’’

I smiled. ‘’Yes; we have history. I basically grew up in the Mikaelson home so I was friends with Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah when we were children. Klaus always preferred my company over his siblings; I think it was because I spoke my mind. I didn’t keep anything from him. He appreciated my honesty. Before I left, I told Elijah a secret I had been keeping for a very long time. He didn’t appreciate my efforts and I couldn’t remind him of that pain so I left. I haven’t done anything yet to warrant a daggering, but eternity is a _very_ long time. You never know.’’

‘’I can’t imagine a young Klaus.’’ He laughed.

‘’He was such a gentle, kind child. The complete opposite of the man he is today. What I think people don’t understand is that he’s been hurt; we all have. Over a millennium our hearts have been broken and hardened by betrayal and love countless times. We’ve each dealt with it different ways. Niklaus no longer trusts anyone… not even me. Rebekah desires what she cannot ever have. It’s a way of punishing herself for her crimes. Elijah doesn’t let anyone close to him, not anymore.’’

‘’And you?’’ Marcel asked. ‘’How do you deal with a thousand years’ worth of guilt?’’

I gave him a sad smile. ‘’I bury it.’’

‘’And when it resurfaces?’’

‘’ I’ll bury it again. And again. I’ll do it for eternity if I have to.’’

He nodded. ‘’If you ever need a break from these guys, come visit me. My door is always open, Tallie.’’

I gave him a nod of thanks before pulling him into a hug. ‘’Take care of yourself, Marcellus.’’

I released him and he disappeared off the balcony.

‘’You always had a way of reading people.’’ Elijah appeared in the doorway.

‘’What do you mean?’’ I didn’t look at him; the pain of the encounter I had witnessed still fresh in my mind.

‘’It has taken me a millennium to work out Niklaus’s motives but you told me that Niklaus would never trust anyone again, not since our mother revealed his true heritage. You did the same for Rebekah and I. A thousand years later and it had never been truer. I still can’t understand how you read so easily what we try to conceal.’’

‘’It’s all in the eyes.’’ I leant on the rail, the cool bar pressing into my arms. ‘’You all reveal your emotions through your eyes, I just learnt to read them. Love is the easiest to see, especially in you. I can see it when your around Hayley.’’

Elijah didn’t say anything, he simply copied my stance and leant against the railing.

‘’So it’s true then?’’ I asked, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice. It felt like someone had hit my stomach with a sledge hammer. My heart ached and all I wanted to do was cry. A thousand years I had loved him and I would’ve waited another thousand years, if only we could be together. But Hayley was a hybrid, i.e. she was immortal. They could spend forever together. ‘’That’s… that’s great, Elijah. Have you told her?’’

 ‘’It wasn’t the right time to tell her, with the loss of her child and the werewolves.’’

‘’Don’t let her go, Elijah. You know how rare love is.’’ I looked down, focusing on burying my feelings. _Don’t feel. Don’t feel. Don’t feel._ As much as it hurt me to tell him to go love someone else, I would always put him above me. Always and forever.

‘’Goodnight, Alessandra.’’ He nodded and disappeared out of the room. I fell to my knees, still on the balcony. My heart was shattered… again. My chance was gone. As long as he lived, Elijah would never let anything happen to her. They would live out eternity together. Tears silently ran down my face and I opened my mouth in a silent scream. So much pain. I couldn’t do it. Somewhere in my room I heard a buzzing; my phone vibrating on the bedside table. I couldn’t move from my position on the ground and I didn’t really want to, to be honest. Right now the pain in my heart was too much.

That little pesky switch was buzzing. It was _so_ tempting. Just a little effort and it would all go away. No more pain. No more Elijah.


	12. Chapter 11

I couldn’t. I knew that as soon as I switched it back on, everything would come back twice as bad. So I dragged myself, literally, into bed. I stayed there all night, never sleeping. By the time the sun rose, I had control of myself. The pain from last night was stored along with everything else I didn’t want to deal with. On my bedside table my phone buzzed. I sped over and grabbed it, answering without looking at the caller ID.

‘’Hello?’’ I whispered. My voice cracked from crying

‘’Tallie. Everything ok?’’ said Sam.

‘’Yeah, Sam. I’m fine. Just tired. Everything ok with you?’’

‘’Actually… I was just calling to let you know that I found Dean.’’

‘’How is he?’’ _Please don’t be dead… again._

‘’Not a demon.’’ I could hear the grin in his voice. ‘’He’s better. We’re taking a break from hunting. I was thinking that we could take you up on that offer? Come visit you in New Orleans?’’

‘’That would be great. I really need to see you guys. I want to talk about what happened… that night.’’ _I needed my best friends._

      ‘’I’ll talk to Dean and call you back later.’’

      ‘’Ok, Sammy. I love you.’’

      ‘’Love you too.’’

      ‘’Take care of your idiot brother.’’

      ‘’Will do. Look after yourself. Bye.’’

We hung up. ‘’It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Elijah.’’ I muttered. I didn’t turn around to face him; I wasn’t sure I could bear the sight of him.

‘’Friends of yours?’’ he asked.

‘’Yep.’’

I knew that he would be frowning at the coldness in my tone. ‘’Klaus has made a… somewhat alarming discovery. The white oak stake is missing.’’

 _Crap._ ’’What do you mean _missing?_ How do you lose the _only thing_ that can _kill us_?’’ I spun around to face him arms crossed. When the heartache rose in my chest I pushed it down; I would deal with it later.

‘’May I remind you that you are not the only one under threat. It may not seem like it at times, but each of us do enjoy our immortality and would like to remain that way. It is in all of our interests that the stake is recovered as quickly as possible.’’ He reminded. ‘’We’re trying to track it down. Would you care to join us?’’

I grabbed my black leather jacket from the wardrobe, the silence between us deafening. I couldn’t bear to look at him; the thought that he loved someone else was too painful. Without looking at him I strode from the room.

‘’Tallie, come to join the search party, have we?’’ Klaus grinned from the breakfast table set up in the courtyard. He folded up the newspaper he had been reading and placed it on the table.

‘’Of course.’’ I grinned. ‘’I’m in the mood for a good interrogation.’’

Something on the front cover of the paper caught my eye. MAN KILLED IN LOCKED ROOM: POLICE BAFFALED. I grabbed it and turned to the article. As the title insinuated, a man had been killed inside a locked room with no signs of forced entry or exit. The police had no clues or leads.

‘’Fricking ghosts, man.’’ I muttered.

‘’I beg your pardon; ghosts?’’ Elijah looked at me, confused.

‘’I told you I’ve been hunting for the past few years. I wasn’t off stalking humans. This is what I did; ghosts, vamps, wolves, a few other monsters. You would be surprised at what I have seen and done, Elijah.’’ I managed a small smile before taking a seat at the table. In a bucket of warm water sat a few blood bags. I grabbed one and delicately sipped on the tube.

‘’You must forgive us; we have been too involved in our own problems to ask you what the past centuries have brought you. Tell us, what have you done with your time?’’ Klaus asked. Elijah took a seat next to me and I tried not to shift away. His scent was intoxicating, I wanted so badly just to bury my face in his neck and breathe it in forever.

‘’Well, the first few years were spent adjusting to life on my own. I didn’t have anyone to hunt with, no one to make sure I didn’t kill. I had a few mishaps but I got control. Then I settled down. In the 1720’s I founded a women’s debating society and set up an illegal school for women and girls. That ran successfully for a while until we were discovered. I moved on. I had a few partners but nothing permanent. You know how I am with relationships.’’ After a few decades of vampirism, the Mikaelsons had questioned me about why I hadn’t had any relationships. I had told them that I was too scared of letting anyone know about my homicidal nature to let anyone in. Of course, only Rebekah knew the truth. I had told her about my feelings for Elijah and the secret that I kept from him. She knew that I would never- could never love anyone else. ‘’I moved from town to town, exploring the world. I even went back to England,’’ I continued. ‘’Then in 1920 I met Jordon. I was a flapper and he was rallying for women’s rights. Everything was perfect but then he found out about vampires. He literally ran away screaming. I relocated again, did some dancing and gymnastics. Hell, I even joined the Royal Ballet Company for a few years. I moved around the place until I stumbled upon Hunting. Ghosts, ghouls, wolves, zombies. So many different things out there. For a while, I made a difference. It was probably the best time of my life.’’

Klaus grabbed a blood bag. ‘’And who might these Winchesters be?’’ he gave a sly smirk.

I flushed. ‘’Sam and Dean. They’re brothers who I hunted with. They’re my friends… just friends.’’ I could feel Elijah’s gaze on me and my cheek reddened even more. ‘’They were going to pay me a visit, but there’s some… stuff going on at the moment they have to deal with. They might drop around in a few weeks.’’

‘’It would be a pleasure to meet them.’’ Elijah’s voice was stony. I looked up at him; he was staring at me and I quickly glanced down again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Klaus looking between us, an unreadable expression on his face.

‘’Morning.’’ Hayley appeared behind Klaus. I started at her appearance. As much as I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t help but hate her. She had taken Elijah from me. She had taken within a year what I couldn’t acquire over a millennium.

‘’Please excuse me,’’ I mumbled, standing up and sliding out from the chair. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me as I left, heading back to my room to prepare for the day.

* * *

 

‘’Get a grip.’’ I scolded the reflection in the mirror. The girl in front of me had the same face, but the sadness in her eyes was foreign. Her once bright, curly hair now looked dirty and matted. She was a wreck.

‘’Talking to reflections is a sign of insanity.’’ Klaus was leaning nonchalantly against my doorframe. I jumped at his voice.

‘’Knock, Klaus!’’ I admonished. ‘’I could’ve been naked.’’

‘’I didn’t come here to peep on you, Alessandra.’’ He gave me a sly smirk. ‘’I came to ask a question. How long have you been in love with my brother?’’

‘’What?’’ I gaped, spinning to face him. ‘’I don’t know what you’re talking about.’’ Even I could hear the quaver in my voice, a sure sign that I was lying.

‘’Don’t even attempt to lie to me. I know that look, I’ve seen it too many times not to recognize it. How long have you loved my brother… as more than just a friend?’’

I didn’t answer. A piece of dirt under my nail became my centre of focus.

‘’That long?’’ He sounded gleeful. ‘’Does he know? He doesn’t, does he?’’

I sped over to him, shoving my forearm under his jaw to pin him against the doorframe. ‘’If you tell him, I will kill you.’’ I whispered, glaring at him. ‘’He _cannot_ know.’’

 ‘’Say it. Just once, say it out loud.’’ He grinned. I listened for a moment, ensuring that nobody could overhear.

I let out a breath slowly. ‘’I love Elijah.’’


	13. Chapter 12

            Just as I told Marcel, I buried the pain. I put it in the bottom of my heart and sealed it away. Then I took my feelings for Elijah and buried them… or tried to. Each time I put the lid on, it sprung off again. I tried, again and again but nothing worked.

            Then I made a decision; I would ignore it. I would ignore it until it faded. He was happy with Hayley. I would be happy for them, screw me. Who was I to deny them anything? An image flashed to my mind; Elijah wrapping his hands around me waist, caressing my swollen belly. A hallucination, nothing more. Something that my mind had concocted as a result of the spell.

            I refused to cry over him anymore.

I needed another outlet. The gym wasn’t too far away and it would give me some time by myself.

* * *

 

      When I arrived around mid-morning, the gym was nearly empty; only a couple of guys on the sparring mats. I did the usual unnecessary stretches before heading to the climbing rope. Wrapping my chalked hands around the rope I leapt up and started pulling. My arms took my whole weight, legs stretched out perpendicularly to my body. By the time I reached the top of the three metre rope, I had worked up a good sweat. Relishing in the burn I halted, catching my breath. After a moment I made my way down again. out of the corner of my eye I saw the two men watching me. Not in the mood for interaction, I ignored them and made my way over to the beams.

      I worked myself for a good two hours, until I was interrupted. I spotted Elijah standing by the walls, watching me. I was in the middle of a backflip when I saw him. Panting I balanced on the bar, waiting expectantly for him to approach.  When he didn’t, I frown. Noticing me, he nodded towards the sparring mats. I turned and saw what he was looking at.

      The two men were now watching me, not having caught sight of Elijah. I grinned and waved at them. They stumbled over each other trying to reach me first.

      ‘’Hey, boys.’’ I purred.

      ‘’Hi, there.’’ One of the grinned. He was blonde, with green eyes. He would’ve been very attractive, had I not had my eye on another man. _Not thinking about that,_ I reminded myself.

      ‘’Nice job with…that.’’ The other gestured to the beam. This one was black haired, with hazel eyes. The same principal applied to him; not the guy I was looking for.

      I nodded graciously. ‘’Thank you. Can I help you with something?’’

      I watched them expectantly, tilting my head slightly. They flushed.

      The blonde one shoved his friend forwards. ‘’My friend would like to ask you something.’’

      the other one grinned shyly. ‘’Would you like to go for a drink?’’

      I head a small growl from behind me and I grinned. I opened my mouth to reply but Elijah strode forwards. By the terror on their faces, I knew Elijah was staring them down. Their faces paled and I rolled my eyes.

      Elijah offered me his hand, still staring at the men. ‘’Alessandra, I believe we have something to attend to. Immediately.’’ He looked up at me, eyebrow raised. I rolled my eyes again and took his hand. I leapt lightly from the beam, landing lightly on the ground.

      ‘’See you later.’’ I gave the boys one last smile before turning into the ladies change rooms.

* * *

 

      I was still grinning when we got in the car. My hair, still wet from the shower, soaked my shirt. _Curse thick hair._ Beside me, Elijah’s face was stony.

      ‘’That wasn’t very nice, Elijah.’’ I grinned as his hands tightened on the wheel.

      ‘’You knew their intentions perfectly. I simply couldn’t allow you to break their poor hearts, Alessandra.’’ He looked at me, a hint of a smile on his face.

      Smiling, I turned back to the streets, whizzing by. For a moment, just a moment, I let myself enjoy his company. Then his phone buzzed. He absently reached into his pocket to pull it out.

      ‘’Hayley.’’ He greeted.

      I shifted, smile fading. _Of course._ I tuned out the conversation, the softness in his voice. He hung up I tried to act like nothing had changed.

* * *

 

When we arrived home, Elijah strode off towards the kitchen. Inside I saw Hayley covered in blood. Forgetting that she was stealing the love of my life from me, I followed him into the kitchen. I grabbed the tea towel from the drawer while he led her to a chair.

      ‘’What happened?’’ he asked, searching her for injury.

      Using the tea towel I gently wiped the blood from her hands.

      ‘’I got her, trying to leave town.’’ She whispered. ‘’Francesca. She’s dead.’’

      Everyone in the room released a breath. When nobody leapt into action, I jumped up.

      ‘’You need to get this blood off.’’ I grabbed her arm and gently helped her to her feet. We walked slowly to her bathroom. While she undressed I ran the shower.

      I waited for her to finish in her bedroom, fresh clothes set out already. I heard Elijah appear at the door. He motioned for me to follow him.

      ‘’How is she?’’ he asked, leaning against the balcony railing. Below, compelled kitchen staff were cleaning the left over blood from the kitchen.

      ‘’Fine, for now. She’ll need some time to process.’’ I said, looking back towards the room. I heard the shower shut off and Hayley move about.

      ‘’Thank you.’’ I nodded and moved towards her room. Elijah’s hand wrapped around my bicep and I halted again. ‘’I’m sorry… that you had to go through all this alone.’’

      Without looking back, I pulled away, tears rising. By the time Hayley saw me, the mask was back up.

* * *

 

      ‘’Hey,’’ I whispered. Hayley was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

      ‘’I’m fine, Tallie.’’ She didn’t look at me.

      ‘’Hayley, you don’t have to-‘’

      ‘’No, seriously.’’ She sat up and looked at me, completely calm. ‘’I’m _fine_. She took my baby from me. I killed her, I only wish I had drawn it out more. Now all that’s left is the witches.’’

      I studied her for a moment, not detecting any fault in her façade. Maybe she _was_ ok.

      ‘’Ok.’’ I nodded. ‘’I’ll see you later then.’’

      ‘’What?’’ Surprise was clearly evident in her voice. ‘’That’s it?’’

      I tilted my head, confused. ‘’Did you want more?’’

      ‘’It’s just, usually Elijah or Klaus… they demand I tell them everything.’’

      I shrugged. ‘’You’re a grown ass woman. You do what you want and you suffer the consequences. You know that I’m here.’’

      She nodded. ‘’Thank you.’’

I grinned and left the room. I made it about halfway to the stairs before I was slammed against the wall. Elijah’s furious face appeared in front of me.

‘’Don’t you _dare_ tell me to go back in there and grill her,’’ I growled. ‘’I am not yours to command, and neither is she. Don’t forget that I am _just_ as strong as you, Elijah.’’

He removed his arm from my chest and took a step back, straightening his suit. ‘’She is not ok,’’ he stated simply.

I shook my head. ‘’Of course she isn’t. But she needs to work through this by herself. You and Klaus need to leave her alone.’’

He nodded and let me pass.

‘’I mean it, Elijah. Leave her alone. Just for now. She’s gonna get worse before she gets better and if she has two overbearing Originals on her back, it’s gonna be twice as bad.’’

He studied me for a moment before striding away.

I was hit with a wave of nostalgia; the first few months after Valkyrie died, I was nearly inconsolable. Esther had tried to comfort me, tried to explain that the agonising pain in my heart would pass, but for a vampire, the emotion was near overwhelming. My best friend was helping his family through their transitions, dealing with Klaus and his realisation that Mikael wasn’t his biological father. I was left by myself, high on blood most of the time, hunting the rest of it.

But before then, before we were immortal… he had been so kind. When I discovered about the child, I had considered, just for a moment, about telling him. On the night of bonfire, I planned to pull him to the side. I had been giddy with excitement; thinking that maybe Elijah would have grown to love me. But then I saw him kiss Tatia by the pig pen. And my heart had broken.

Crying I had run to the closest thing I had to a loving mother, Esther. There she had helped me devise a story explaining the child’s origins. A man, passing through the village, gone by the time I woke the next morning. Everyone bought it, of course. Such was Esther’s power. Though it killed me not to tell the truth to Elijah, I stuck with it, refusing to deny him the opportunity to be happy.

All the Mikaelsons became protective of me. Several times, Elijah had to beat men who threw stones at me, calling me whore. Those were the hardest times, watching the fury in his eyes as he unwittingly defended his child.

As my body swelled, Rebekah helped me make new clothes. Hours spent talking names and gender. She had picked out Valkyrie, the Scandinavian name for Odin’s twelve handmaidens who controlled who lived and died on the battlefield. They were fierce, powerful women and I had hoped for my daughter to be like them.


	14. Chapter 13

            The day passed slowly, the house silent. Hayley was downstairs somewhere, Elijah and Klaus were out. I tried to call Rebekah but her number was out of service. I hoped that she was safe, maybe I’d have Davina perform a location spell, just to be sure.

* * *

 

I received the call early the next morning; Sam and Dean were in New Orleans. I grinned and bound down the stairs, feeling like a child on Christmas morning.

            ‘’Whoa, there.’’ Hayley exclaimed when I nearly bowled her over, coming down the stairs. ‘’What’s got you all excited?’’

            ‘’My friends just arrived,’’ I beamed. ‘’Do you think the Mikaelson’s will let me have them over?’’

            ‘’I think that you don’t need the Mikaelson’s approval for anything.’’ She gave me a grin.

            ‘’Where are you off to?’’ I asked, taking in her jeans and jacket. Not her usual dress code. When she didn’t answer I knew. ‘’Maybe you should give it a rest for the day,’’ I warned. When defiance rose in her eyes I quickly changed tactics. ‘’Just take someone with you, please. _I’ll_ come.’’

            She shook her head. ‘’Klaus is coming with me. They killed our baby, they need to pay.’’

            I nodded, knowing that nothing I could say would sway her decision. She was a childless mother, one determined on vengeance for her baby. She nodded at me, a quick thank you, before speeding out of the compound. I continued on my path to the kitchen, my mood slightly less buoyant. I couldn’t help but worry about the young hybrid.

            I was greeted by Elijah in the kitchen. He was seated at the breakfast bar, a newspaper opened to the business section in front of him.

            ‘’How’s the economy?’’ I asked, walking around the island to get to the fridge. I don’t know what Elijah had changed, but something about him was _especially_ attractive today. Maybe it was just my mood.

            ‘’Awful.’’ He glanced up at me. ‘’Pray, tell, what is that smile about?’’

            ‘’My friends are visiting.’’ I answered, reaching into the fridge for a blood bag. O+, _perfect_. I poured the blood into a glass before taking a delicate sip. It was hard to wipe the grin off my face, even while I drank, and it was a struggle not to drip blood down my white tank. ‘’I may get a chance to apologise; they kinda walked in on me and the Salvatore’s having a little… drink.’’ Elijah raised his eyebrow.

‘’What?’’ I exclaimed. ‘’They weren’t supposed to be there anyway! Besides, I won’t be the only one apologising; one of them shot me.’’

Elijah smiled in amusement. ‘’How awful. I assume that you pulled the bullet out in front of them? You always had a dramatic side.’’

I flushed. ‘’It ruined my favourite shirt! _Plus_ , it was dead man’s blood. I couldn’t get the taste of _death_ off my tongue for days!’’

            ‘’Then, they _do_ have a lot to make up for.’’ He smiled wryly. I grinned and took another sip of my drink. We sat in comfortable silence for a moment until it was broken by a phone buzzing. I pulled the device out of my back pocket before smiling and answering.

            ‘’Hello, Sammy.’’ I smiled.

            ‘’Tallie, hey. Dean’s here as well.’’ I heard an awkward scuffle.

            ‘’Hey, Tallie.’’ Dean’s gruff voice drifted over the speaker.

            ‘’Hello, Dean.’’ I cringed, _so awkward_.

            ‘’So, ummm…’’ he mumbled, ‘’I was wondering if you wanted to meet for a drink. We all need to have a talk.’’

            I raised my eyebrow at Elijah, confirming that I was free tonight. He nodded and I mouthed thanks at him.

            ‘’Sure. Met me at Rousseau’s.’’ I gave him directions before we hung up.

            Elijah was frowning into his glass. ‘’What?’’ I asked.

            ‘’Your friends shouldn’t linger here for too long. I dread to think what horror might present itself next.’’

            I nodded. ‘’Just a day. Then I’ll ask them to leave.’’

            ‘’Agreed.’’ He stood up, buttoning his jacket and folding the newspaper. ‘’Good night, Alessandra.’’ He gave me a nod before heading out of the room.

            I sighed, before downing the rest of the blood. This is what I missed; little moments where, for once, Elijah and I were comfortable. Little talks like this which had reminded me that I still had a family.


	15. Chapter 14

            Elijah handed me a drink the minute I walked into the room. I took it gratefully, before slumping down into the nearest arm chair.

            ‘’Talk.’’ I said, watching Elijah fuss about the room. His shoulders were tense underneath his suit jacket.

            ‘’About what?’’ he asked coolly.

            ‘’Don’t give me that BS, Elijah. Something is going on. What are you thinking?’’ I watched as he picked us his own glass of whiskey and sat opposite me.

            ‘’Hayley has been spending more time out hunting the witches. She assures me that she is getting close to finishing the last few, but she seems to be… more distant. Colder. I am concerned about her mental state.’’ He gazed at me as he sipped his glass.

            ‘’She has to do this, Elijah. She’s also immortal and has to learn how to deal with the emotions that go along with that.’’ I got up and refilled my tumbler, bringing the bottle of liquor with me to the couch for Elijah.

            He nodded, not completely satisfied. ‘’How about you? How are you doing?’’

            I shrugged. ‘’As good as I can be after those witches, I guess. Seeing our dead daughter is bound to leave some lasting effects.’’

            He stiffened. ‘’Yes. I guess it is to be expected.’’

            I frowned. ‘’Have I done-?’’

            ‘’No.’’ The calm way he said it made me think otherwise.

            I studied him for a moment. The candles lit on the table next to him cast a soft, flickering shadow across his face, highlighting his high cheekbones and lightening the brown in his eyes. _Not mine._

            A lump rose in my throat. ‘’Goodnight, Elijah.’’ I gave him a nod and left the room.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

I hadn’t meant to snap at her, but the maternal way she fussed over Hayley… she would’ve made a wonderful mother. The tension between us had somewhat diminished throughout the duration of her stay. However, on occasion, I caught her staring at the nursery, or at Klaus and Hayley, or even at a child on thr street. The pure pain and loss on her face, even after a thousand years, still rips a hole in me. I am reminded of the beautiful girl on the floor of my cottage. The frightened girl who hid a pregnancy from a man in love with another. That girl had died that night, a millennium ago. Alessandra, or Tallie, was a stronger, sombre version of the carefree girl I had grown up with.

            She put on a façade, convincing the world that she was happy, putting others problems before her own. She was always so selfless, hiding her own feelings for others.

            And I had broken her. If I hadn’t slept with her that night, so many things would’ve been different. She would never have Turned. She would’ve lived out her life as a normal human. Maybe she would’ve got married, had children, raised them happily.

            I think that, deep down, she knew that. Yet here she was, helping my family through yet another crisis.


	16. Chapter 15

The boys reached at the compound not two hours after arriving in New Orleans. I was reading in the courtyard when they walked in. I jumped up, careful not to move faster than a human could. They were dressed in their usual jeans and flannel, but something about them was… different. They both looked older. There were more lines around their eyes and both looked like they could use a good sleep.

‘’Hi.’’ I gave them a small smile. 

Sam grinned and pulled me in for a hug. ‘’Hey, Tallie.’’

Dean shuffled awkwardly beside him. Sam and I pulled apart. ‘’Hi, sweetheart.’’

‘’Hello, Dean. Good to see you’re not a demon.’’ I scanned him over for obvious injuries. None, thank god.

‘’Yeah.’’ He rubbed his neck. ‘’i… I-‘’

‘’I accept.’’ I nodded, sparing him the whole apology. ‘’I know that you were just protecting your brother.’’

 He nodded. When he didn’t move I sighed and pulled him into a hug. ‘’If you shoot me again,’’ I whispered too low for Sammy to hear. 

Dean tensed, ‘’I won’t.’’ He promised.

I grinned and he relaxed. Sam looked around the courtyard. 

‘’Nice place.’’ he commented. Dean made a sound of agreement.

I glanced around. ‘’Yeah, it is.’’ I heard a shift of fabric upstairs and I frowned. ‘’Klaus, Elijah. Would you like to quit hiding in the shadows and come and introduce yourselves?’’ 

In the blink of an eye, something I was certain wasn’t coincidental, they both appeared in front of me and the Winchesters.

Sam and Dean started at their appearance, simultaneously reaching for their guns.

‘’Elijah Mikaelson. Pleasure to meet you.’’ He offered his hand to Dean, then Sam. Klaus hung back, grinning at the boys without saying a word.

‘’Sam, Dean, this is Niklaus, Elijah’s brother.’’ I gestured to Klaus. ‘’He’ll try and intimidate you, but he’s really a big bag of puppies.’’ I grinned when Klaus growled.

‘’And are they…’’ Sam asked hesitantly.

‘’Vampires?’’ Elijah tilted his head. I rolled my eyes. ‘’We are. Except Niklaus here, who is both wolf and vampire.’’

I saw Sam’s eyes widen for a moment.

‘’That’s enough.’’ I turned to Elijah and Klaus. ‘’We’re going to Rousseau’s.’’ I glared at them to back off before leading the brothers out of the compound and back into the street.

* * *

 

‘’Drinks on me.’’ I called as I moved to the bar. The boys headed straight for an empty booth at the back, where it was quietest. A glare from me sent the staring men scuttling as I made my way back to our table.

‘’Cheers.’’ Sam raised his glass to me and took a sip.

There was a moment of silence. 

‘’So,’’ I began. ‘’Let me get this out. I am a vampire, yes. I did not feed on you or Sam.’’ I looked pointed at Dean. ‘’I apologise for not telling you, but I think that as long as I wasn’t putting you in any danger, I had a right to keep my secret.’’

‘’How about us? Huh? We trusted you with our lives and you were one of them!’’ Dean growled. ‘’Do you know how hard that was? To hear that another person we trusted betrayed us?’’

‘’Dean!’’ Sam glared at his brother. ‘’I’m sorry, Tallie. Its just… it was a surprise.’’

I opened my mouth to reply, but something shifted in the atmosphere. I looked carefully around the bar, ignoring the frowns that appeared on the boys faces. Across the bar, two men were eyeing me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw six more take a seat in the corner. Black rings glinted on their fingers.

Shit! Not now. please, not now.

‘’Sam.’’ I reached into my pocket, and pretended to check my phone. ‘’When I say go, run outside. Dean, you follow. Trust me, ok?’’

I used the reflection in the phone to check behind me; more wolves. I dialled Elijah’s number. After no more than one ring he picked it up.

‘’Alessandra.’’

‘’Elijah, we’re at Rousseau’s. The wolves are here.’’

I heard a flurry of movement. ‘’How many?’’

‘’At least eight.’’ I saw Sam and Dean glance around. They reached for their guns but I shook my head. There were innocent people here, one stray bullet and there would be mayhem. ‘’I could handle it myself, but Sam and Dean are here. I can’t guard them and fight by myself.’’

‘’I’m on my way.’’

‘’Hurry, Elijah.’’ We hung up.

‘’Wolves? As in werewolves?’’ Dean asked. 

I nodded. ‘’We’ve had some… issues with them. It’s a little tense right now.’’

I looked around again. as if by some unseen command, the eight visible wolves closed in on us.

‘’Free drinks outside!’’ I yelled, gesturing to the door. In their hurry to get outside, the patrons knocked the wolves about, disorientating them.

‘’Now!’’ I told Sam and Dean, shoving them towards the exit. They hesitated, and that hesitation cost them. six more wolves appeared at the door, blocking it.

They snarled, eyes glowing yellow. I growled back, flashing my fangs. I heard Sam’s heartbeat increase as he caught sight of my face. I shoved the boys towards the back exit, where only two wolves were. They growled, eyes yellow.

‘’No escape, bitch.’’ One of them growled. It was the cute one from the fight in the courtyard. There was a gentle whoosh, and Elijah was behind them. A look of shock came across their faces, before they fell to the ground.

‘’What a shame it’s come to this.’’ Elijah sighed, letting the two hearts roll from his hands to the ground.

Sam and Dean gave shouts of disgust. I ignored that, I’d deal with them later. 

‘’Stay by that exit.’’ I ordered, turning carefully to watch the other wolves. Elijah stepped carefully over the bodies, pulling the handkerchief from his pocket. He used the white material to wipe his hands, something I knew was purely for show.

‘’Next?’’ he asked, opening his arms, inviting attack. We stood without backs to the Winchesters. Even from here, I could clearly hear the pounding of their scared hearts.

With a snarl the two pairs of wolves flanking us lunged forwards. I leapt forwards, speeding behind them, grabbing their necks from behind. With a jerk, both their spines snapped and they fell to the ground. Elijah had dealt similarly with his wolves. The four at the front whistled and eight more wolves appeared behind them.

‘’They don’t learn, do they?’’ I grinned at Elijah.

‘’It appears not.’’ He tilted his head.

As one, the wolves lunged for us, surrounding Elijah and I, keeping us contained and unable to speed around them. The jabs and kicks thrown us were easily deflected. Thank God the Winchesters had the brains to see that this was a fight they couldn’t win. Thankfully, the wolves seemed to have forgotten about them, still watching in silent horror from the doorway.

Not for long. Two of the wolves broke off and headed for the boys. Using the opening they made in the circle, I leapt after them, yanking them back before they could get too close. It was just the opportunity they needed.

With a snarl, the four wolves, two from the circle and the two I had grabbed, lunged for me. Teeth sunk into my throat, arms, torso and leg. I screamed as venom pumped into me. I heard a deathly growl and they were yanked off me. 

A second later and I heard four light thuds, hearts falling to the wooden floor. A second later the bodies followed.

I gurgled as blood welled into my throat. I heard distant voices, but my injuries combined with the venom meant that I couldn’t make sense of anything. I was scooped up and carried off. Somewhere along the way Sam’s face appeared above me. He whispered something to me, a moment before the black took over my vision.


	17. Chapter 16

**Sam**

            Tallie screamed and writhed on the bed. Elijah, shoved past me and held her down. Dean and I stood off to the side, panicking. What was wrong with her?

            Black veins appeared under her eyes and she snarled at us. I could see razor sharp fangs poking out from her lip. Elijah held her down, but barely. Quick as a flash, he reached two hands down to her neck. He twisted sharply and she went limp. We could hear the crack of breaking bone from here.

            I roared. He _killed_ her! He’d just _snapped_ _her_ _neck_ and _killed_ her.

            ‘’Do calm yourself.’’ Elijah said, not looking at us. ‘’She will wake, in a few hours. Now, I suppose you have questions.’’

            I gaped at him, standing there so casually, one hand tucked into his dress pant, like he hadn’t just snapped Tallies neck. _Wait… she’ll… what?_

‘’I don’t know how much she told you, about us.’’ He continued.

            Dean frowned. ‘’Not much.’’ Understatement of the year.

            ‘’I heard a scream.’’ Hayley appeared in the door, face slightly flushed. I felt Dean straighten next to me. _Not a good idea, dude._

            ‘’Sam, Dean. This is Hayley.’’ Elijah’s voice was cold.

            Hayley nodded, her dark eyes scanning over us. ‘’Tallie’s friends?’’

            ‘’It would seem so.’’ I frowned at Elijah’s tone.

            Hayley glanced behind him, at Tallie lying on the bed, neck at an awkward angle. ‘’Something happen? What’s that smell?’’ She wrinkled her nose. I took a sniff, nothing.

            ‘’She was... bitten. Wolves followed her to Rousseau’s.’’ Elijah sighed.

Hayley scowled. ‘’Klaus should be back soon.’’

            I frowned; what did _he_ have to do with anything?

            ‘’My brother is half vampire, half werewolf.’’ Elijah must’ve caught my frown. ‘’Is blood can heal a wolf bite. Though it won’t kill Alessandra, it will be much less agonising and dangerous if she is healed relatively quickly.’’

            I started; _half werewolf, half vampire_? Dean and I exchanged glances.

            ‘’Don’t bother,’’ Hayley sighed. ‘’It’s a long story.’’

She nodded to Dean then me and strode from the room.

* * *

 

**Tallie**

I remember the feeling of unbearable hunger. I had lunged for Sam. God; I had _attacked_ him. then nothing; someone must’ve broken my neck.

When I woke, mouth still full of Klaus’s blood, the rush of events flooded my mind. I swallowed another mouthful before pushing his wrist away. Klaus grinned down at me.

‘’I heard you gave those friends of yours quite a scare.’’ He smirked. I grimaced and sat up slowly. My head spun as the last of the venom left my system and I paused for a moment before placing my feet on the ground.

‘’Finally,’’ someone sighed. I turned my head, wincing as the bones snapped; someone must’ve broken my neck. Elijah rose from the seat I the corner, buttoning his jacket. ‘’Sam and Dean are in the courtyard. I believe they are anxious as to her of your condition.’’

I nodded. ‘’And… did I-attack… them?’’

Elijah shook his head. ‘’Fortunately you didn’t. However, you made quite an attempt. I had to… disable you in front of them.’’

‘’Great,’’ I groaned. So I’d have _a lot_ of talking to do. I had hoped to avoided all of this; I was torn between telling them everything and only revealing what was completely necessary.

‘’Hungry?’’ Elijah inquired.

My mind was drawn to the burn in my veins. I nodded, suddenly unable to speak. He disappeared out the door, reappearing a moment later with a blood bag. He tossed it to me and I bit into it with a snarl.

He watched for a second, then turned. ‘’I’ll send your friends in.’’

* * *

 

**Tallie**

‘’Hi.’’ I said quietly, still in bed when the boys walked in. they shifted nervously, eyeing Hayley in the corner. ‘’I’m sorry.’’

Dean’s eyes snapped to me. I had never seen such fury in them, not even that time when I accidently scratched Baby’s paintwork with my handgun after a hunt. ‘ _’Sorry_? That’s all you’ve got? _Sorry_?’’

‘’Dude,’’ Sam said quietly.

I shook my head. ‘’I deserve it.’’

‘’No, you don’t.’’ Hayley stood up, arms crossed, frowning at the boys. Both of them took a step back, eyes wary. ‘’Do you know what Talllie did? She and Elijah took on _sixteen_ werewolves to protect you! Tallie got _bit_ , put through _excruciating_ pain, for _you_! Yes, she nearly attacked you, but we stopped her. I think a little leeway would be nice. You have no idea what she’s done for this family, what she’s been put through this past year. So shut the fuck up, and listen!’’

Sam and Dean openly stared, downstairs I heard sharp laugh and knew that Elijah and Klaus had heard Hayley’s rant. She looked to me, I nodded and she strode from the room, closing the door behind her.

‘’You lied to us.’’ Dean said slowly. I nodded. ‘’You knew how hard it was for Sammy and I to trust you, and you betrayed it.’’ I stayed silent. ‘’Have you killed?’’

The question took me by surprise. ‘’Ummm,’’ I hesitated. _Should I tell them? Enough secrets,_ I decided. ‘’Yes, I have. We all have.’’

Sam paled slightly. ‘’Do… do you know how many?’’ Dean straightened slightly.

‘’No,’’ I admitted. Both the boys let out a breath. I think Dean even cursed. ‘’Hey,’’ I said, getting defensive. What right did they have to judge me? ‘’It’s my nature to want to kill. Plus, I’ve lived for over a millennium, I think I’ve earned the right to slip up occasionally.’’

Sam shook his head. ‘’But it’s not a ‘slip up’, is it Tallie? It’s _human life,_ that you’ve taken. Those people have families, people who loved them.’’

‘’You don’t think I know that?’’ I whispered. ‘’You don’t think that I have nights where I don’t sleep, because I can still hear their screams? I suffer for what I’ve done, I promise you that. But don’t you dare judge me for something that you could not _begin_ to imagine.’’

Sam nodded. ‘’So where do we go from here?’’

I shrugged. ‘’It’s up to you, I’d love to come with you, but I also want you guys to trust me- not straight away, but I don’t want always have someone looking over my shoulder, or throwing me sideways glances. If we go together, we’re a team.’’

Dean considered for a moment. ‘’We can take it slow. Little hunts and build up.’’

Sam nodded. ‘’Works for me.’’

I gave them a sideways smile. ‘’Hug?’’

Sam laughed and walked over to me, pulling me gingerly into a hug. I stared at Dean over Sam shoulder. He raised eyes to look at me before dropping them again. I understood, it would take more than a little heart-to-heart for him to forgive me.


	18. Chapter 17

Once the boys left, I went to find Elijah. He was in his study, in the leather arm chair next to the drinks tray. He glanced up at me then poured me a glass of bourbon. He handed me the crystal tumbler and I took a seat opposite him.

“When I was bitten,’’ I begun slowly. “I hallucinated.” Elijah frowned and I continued. “It was of us; you, me, Kol, Klaus, Rebekah, Finn… and Valkyrie. Sometimes… sometimes I wonder what would have happened to her, if she had lived. What kind of life she would have had.”

 ‘’She should have never been created.’’ In that moment, everything stopped. Elijah regretted creating her? Maybe I had just misinterpreted. But what other meaning could his words have? _She should have never been created._ ‘’Her life would’ve been riddled with grief,’’ he continued, ‘’with a family like ours. It’s a blessing that she didn’t live long enough to witness the destruction that we have all inflicted on this world.’’

He was grateful that she hadn’t grown up. How did he know what we would’ve done when we had if she was alive?

I felt sick and furious in the same moment, paralysed by my emotions running rampant.

‘’I don’t-’’ I whispered, heart cracking. How could I remain here, knowing that was how he felt? I could only stare as he refilled his glass. Within a second, I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall behind us. The glass he had been holding shattered to the ground, milliseconds after I slammed him into the wood.

I snarled, fangs bared at his neck. Elijah recovered from the shock and shoved me away with all his might. He growled, baring his own fangs. A dare to attack. I regained my footing but didn’t move. It was like all the fight had drained out of me. ‘’A thousand years.’’ I whispered. ‘’A thousand years more.’’ This cycle would continue… unless I broke it.

Elijah looked at me quizzically, fangs disappearing inside his mouth.

‘’I can’t do this anymore.’’ I realised. I just felt so… empty. ‘’I’m leaving.

 Because _looking_ at you hurts! _Every_ day I see what could be, but never will! I’m happy for you and Hayley, but it hurts! Some days, I just want to tear my heart out… or switch it off. But I don’t. Do you know why? Because I love you, Elijah. I love your stupid self-sacrifice, your belief in this family. I have for a thousand years. I’ve watched you love and lose. I cried with you every time Klaus killed your love. I hid my pain as I watched you fall for another girl who wasn’t me. I love you, Elijah.’’

 He didn’t move, or show any emotion on his face. After a moment he turned and strode from the room.

I stood there in stunned silence. A thousand years of pent up emotion and he… walked out. Roaring, I grabbed the nearest item, a glass tumbler full of whiskey, and threw it into the fire. A scream erupted from my throat as a millennium of hope, grief, heartbreak and love exploded from my chest.

I raked my nails frown my arms, drawing blood.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

            I heard her scream, heard the glass smash, heard tearing flesh. But I didn’t stop her. It was for the best. She needed to leave. Whatever was coming after us now, I didn’t want her here. And what I’d said about Valkyrie… I felt filthy.

            I knew that she was in pain, but I had to force her to leave. Our family had put her through enough. If she didn’t leave, she would just be dragged into another mess of ours. I heard a gentle thunk, like a body hitting the ground. After a moment, the sound of quiet sobbing filled the room.

            I dragged myself away, fighting every instinct I had to go back, to explain, to reassure her that I returned those feelings. That I had loved her for 1000 years.

* * *

 

            Dean and Sam were waiting in the courtyard, just as I asked. They were eyeing the fountain in the centre, probably stained with blood from the many fights that and occurred here over the past year. Even though they had only arrived last night, they were all packed and ready to haul ass, just as I asked. They took one look at my tear streaked face and were instantly on guard. I ran towards Sam and he opened his arms. I flung myself at him and he pulled me close, whispering reassuring words into my hair as more tears escaped. After a moment I pulled away, adjusting my ruffled clothing.

            ‘’Who do we have to kill?’’ Dean growled.

            I gave him a small smile and shook my head. ‘’I don’t care… not anymore.’’

            Screw them all; screw Klaus, for introducing Hayley and Elijah, screw Rebekah for giving me hope that Elijah would love me, someday. And most of all, screw Elijah, for ripping out my heart.

            They nodded, and helped my carry out my bags.

            As I turned to survey the compound on last time, I saw him. standing on the barrister of the balcony opposite me, something small and gold between his clenched fingers. Elijah didn’t move as I turned from him and strode away.

* * *

 

**Elijah**

The small gold horse was lying on her bed. I found it when I had gone in to investigate the silence. I was greeted by empty wardrobes and drawers, a neatly made bed and the small horse glinting on the brown coverlet. When I heard voices in the courtyard outside I had sped out, with every intention to stop her leaving.

            I witnessed her run into the arms of another man. Her friends, I guessed. The ones she had been so pleased about seeing yesterday. The shorter one said something, I didn’t extend my hearing in time to catch it. she shook her head. _‘’I don’t care… not anymore.’’_

            Alessandra, the kindest and most caring Original, was broken. By me. The sense of self-hate I felt in that moment was un-paralleled to anything I had felt in my long life. The boys picked up the two small bags she carried. I walked forwards until I was standing on the balcony opposite, both hands gripping the rail. As if they could stop me from chasing after her.

            She paused, as if sensing my presence. She turned, and looked up at me. At the chain clutched in my hand. Without a sound, she turned and disappeared out of the doors.


End file.
